The book reads like a good novel and worked really well as a bed time story book for me. To date, southwest is the fifth largest airline in the united states. This 1 story explains his amazing leadership style this is a video produced by southwest airlines for its employees about malice in dallas, the legendary charity arm wrestling match between smokin herb k. Leading an organization is as much about soul as it is about systems. In the 90s, two companies were using the same motto. Nuts southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and. Jul 28, 2017 herb kelleher, the airlines founder, is quoted in the book, nuts by kevin and jackie freiberg, about the fact that in 1973 southwest became the first major airline to introduce profitsharing.
Twentyfive years ago, herb kelleher reinvented air travel when he founded southwest. Southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success. Jim young, a longtime participant at the first friday book synopsis. Ken blanchard, coauthor of the one minute manager full of original insights, upbeat stories, and concrete. Leadership style at southwest airlines management paradise. If your driving principles are love and fun, can you still make a profit in. It makes employees unhappy gordon bethune is a brash texan as is herb kelleher, coincidentally who is best known for turning continental airlines around from worst to first, a story told in his book of the same title from 1998. Oct 14, 2014 5 enviable leadership lessons from herb kelleher and southwest airlines published on october 14, 2014 october 14, 2014 41 likes 9 comments. Jan 03, 2019 he had cut off the long hair by then, but was still a rogue beloved by his employees. Southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success at. Southwest airlines mourns passing of herb kelleher flying. Ken blanchard, coauthor of the one minute manager full of original insights, upbeat stories, and concrete suggestions. Hsm presents wobi world of business ideas, a powerhouse of actionable ideas from people shaping the world today.
On a blind date at a basketball game, he met joan negley who was a student at connecticut college in new london. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In the wake of the southwest airlines cofounders death, weve republished our 1996 profile of him. Nuts southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success freiberg, kevin. Herb kelleher is the cofounder, and former ceo of southwest airlines. He was known as a very empathetic and charismatic leader that earned him respect throughout the industry resulting in a profit for a consecutive 24 years. Herb kelleher 2007 history making texan award honoree duration. Asked to share a story that encapsulates what he is all about, herb kelleher offers the following. The book written in 1996 by jackie and kevin freiberg explains how kelleher and southwest lead the airline business. Herb kelleher you money without sums in 1996 when, for the fifth year in a row, we had the best record among major airlines for ontime performance and for baggage handling and the fewest complaints for the number of customers carried we dedicated an airplane to all of our 25,000 people. His candor, humility and thoughts on leadership are unbelievably refreshing and really unusual in todays business world.
Twentyfive years ago, herb kelleher reinvented air travel when he founded southwest airlines, where the planes are painted like killer whales. The book is divided into four sections, with the last looking at leadership in general and as practiced at southwest. This book was originally published in 1996, but every word of it is perfectly applicable today. Southwest airlines has always been a bit of a maverick in the industry you can thank the companys colorful founder herb kelleher for that, making flying from one place to another affordable and. I still wont be taking a southwest flight anytime soon, but ive gained a lot. The second was uncontainable by kip tindell, the recently retired ceo from the container store. Twentyfive years ago, herb kelleher reinvented air travel when he founded. Jan 12, 2019 herb kelleher, the legendary cofounder and ceo of southwest airlines from 1981 to 2001, recently passed away.
Oct 14, 2008 hsm presents wobi world of business ideas, a powerhouse of actionable ideas from people shaping the world today. I vividly remember a story from nuts, a book about southwest and kelleher. This is an older book so some of the material was pretty dated, but it was still worth the read. The book is filled with practical advice and may inspire even the most jaded entrepreneur to lighten up and try a few things herbs way. And southwest airlines stories are so well known and still retold among aviation sales and. Lars pind told me about this book, and i have to agree. Twentyfive years ago, herb kelleher reinvented air travel when he founded southwest airlines, where the planes are painted like killer whales, a typical company maxim is hire people with a sense of humor, and inflight meals are never servedjust sixty million bags of peanuts a year. Southwest airlines founder and chairman emeritus herb kelleher passed away at the age of 87. Jan, 2016 herb kelleher is the cofounder, and former ceo of southwest airlines.
I was the captain of my high school basketball team. Apr 01, 2006 as southwest airlines chairman and former ceo herb kelleher told an amused stanford audience april 24, it really is a horrible business. The book would have been more valuable had there been more analysis. Southwest airlines bans peanuts but your trained service. Nuts southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal. Herb kelleher, the late southwest airlines founder and former ceo. In 2010, herb kelleher was made chairman of the federal reserve bank of dallas which expired 20. The authors had no right to interlace their own philosophy and value system into a book that was suppose to highlight southwest airlines and herb kelleher. As the founder of southwest airlines, herb kelleher did something no other person in the airline industry could dogrew an airline from nothing to more than 3500 flights a day.
Kelleher has an unorthodox style when compared to ceos of other major corporations. What i learned from herb kelleher, the founder of southwest. The book is filled with practical advice and may inspire even the most jaded entrepreneur to lighten up and try a few things herb s way. Southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal.
Ive been asked a number of times what was my proudest accomplishment when i was still very active in the daytoday affairs of southwest airlines. Effective leadership finds its source in understanding. The airline was established on march 15, 1967 by herb kelleher as air southwest co. Herb kelleher, the airlines founder, is quoted in the book, nuts by kevin and jackie freiberg, about the fact that in 1973 southwest became the first major airline to. Herb kelleher, the legendary cofounder and ceo of southwest airlines from 1981 to 2001, recently passed away. Twentyfive years ago, herb kelleher reinvented air travel when he founded southwest airlines, where the planes are painted like killer whales, a typical company maxim is hire people with a sense of humor, and inflight meals are never served. Jan 31, 2010 im a huge admirer of the corporate culture that herb kelleher helped build at southwest airlines.
Southwest airlines herb kellehers leadership style. Kelleher was nearly the last man standing at northwestern that night never seeming to tire from a nearendless barrage of questions accented by. The irrepressible kelleher, who in 1971 cofounded southwest airlines, has built a company. This is an older book so some of the material was pretty dated, but it was still. Herb kelleher, the charismatic founder and former ceo of southwest airlines.
Southwest airlines founder herb kelleher dead at 87. One of his statements i liked was, the business of business is people. Jackie freiberg reveals the secrets of southwest airlines success and describes the unusual and unexpected inner workings of one of americas biggest success stories. We were well ahead in the last minutes of the game, and i just needed to make one more basket to break the league individual scoring record.
Herb kelleher finds someone to hug as he and colleen barrett enjoy the end of the wright amendment on oct. Southwest airlines cofounder and ceo herb kelleher has died. Southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success kevin freiberg, jackie freiberg please order yourself a copy, only a few dollars plus shipping, while you wait. Herb kelleher was the cofounder and ceo of southwest airlines from 1981 to 2007. Sep 29, 2016 my first interview with herb kelleher actually lasted three and a half hours. He had cut off the long hair by then, but was still a rogue beloved by his employees. I have an old video of him speaking to his associates he didnt like the word employee. Ken blanchard, coauthor of the one minute manager full of original insights, upbeat stories, and concrete suggestions, nuts. The section of cedar springs road in dallas, texas, leading to love field airport was officially renamed herb kelleher way in 2014. People are in awe about how herb works and manages southwest airlines. Whether you would agree with then ceo herb kellehers method or not, you will certainly respect. Founder and chairman emeritus of southwest airlines, herb kelleher, shares his thoughts on fuel costs, napoleons army, and the book hes writing.
Southwest does a number of things to benefit its employees, including such programs as profitsharing and empowering employees to make decisions. At wesleyan he was a member of delta kappa epsilon fraternity. Free download nuts southwest airline s crazy recipe for. Jackie freiberg describes the events and people who shaped the culture, character, and personality of southwest airlines, discusses the main elements of the companys success, explores the way leadership is. Herb kelleher, ceo southwest airlines herb kelleher is an outrageous, offthewall ceo that has built a unique organization and has been extremely successful in a very competitive market. Herb kelleher the industry revolutionizing, straight talking, wild turkey swilling founder of southwest airlines is famous for creating his business plan on the back of a cocktail napkin and transforming the airline from three jets into the countrys. Few ceos know how to whoop it up quite like herb kelleher. When san antonio entrepreneur rollin king approached lawyer herb kelleher in 1966.
Top 5 reasons why the customer is always right is wrong. To understand how far herb kelleher has gone in life, you have to understand where and how far southwest airlines has come. Here are the top five reasons why the customer is always right is wrong. Its not like the hatfields and mccoys, feuding and still killing each other after generations for reasons they dont remember. Nuts southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success.
The most amazing thing to me was that he was totally focused on me during the whole time. The first ceo of southwest was lamar muse, herb kellehers predecessor. When it was time for me to catch my flight back to austin, he took me to the airport personally. If youre interested in making your employees and customers raving fans of your business, nuts. The book is both a history of southwest and a walkthrough of their values and how they do business. As it turned out, i was first to suggest herb crack open the bottle and share, a move that earned a big smile from kelleher, as well as a copy of his book nuts and a wild turkey on the rocks of course. Southwest airlines is still making a profit and growing where other airlines are losing. There are valuable morsels of peanuts tossed thoughout the book.
Buy nuts southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success 1st trade pbk. Southwest airlines is still making a profit and growing where other airlines are losing money by the planeload. My first interview with herb kelleher actually lasted three and a half hours. Manage in good times so youll do well in the bad times. One of the key factors in southwest airlines success was mentioned in the book, but i dont think it was given the credit it is due for many of the very important decisions that set the airline up for success from the very beginning. Twentyfive years ago, herb kelleher reinvented air travel when he founded so. Why do southwest airlines employees always seem so. Jan 26, 2018 is it still the best airline stock to buy. Herb kelleher is an example of a leader with a vision, a vision we know today as southwest airlines. Still nuts will show you how southwest airlines built a culture that is an extraordinary magnet for worldclass talenta culture characterized by. The remarkable story of the countrys most successful airline and herb kelleher, the ceo who built it with integrity, guts, and nuts.
Herb kelleher, the cofounder and former ceo of southwest airlines, grew the company from a small regional carrier with just four jets into an industry leader. Businessman rollin king, who brought the idea of southwest airlines co. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Its capital intensive, labor intensive, fuel intensive, intensely cyclical, tremendously competitive the government tells you what you can do in the air and on the ground every day.
Its a joy to read about a company that values freedom, creativity, people and, yes, love if your driving principles are love and fun, can you still make a profit in todays harsh business world. By sidestepping reengineering, total quality management, and other management. View the list you cant have a midlife crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis. A t a chickfila leadercast several years ago, patrick lencioni told us a story about southwest airlines that would cause many ceos to cringe or outright panic.
By sidestepping reengineering, total quality management, and other management philosophies and. Southwest airline s crazy recipe for business and personal success best ebook. Unique quotes from herb kelleher, founder of southwest airlines, range from themes like respect and trust to inspiration and love. Twentyfive years ago, herb kelleher reinvented air travel when he founded southwest airlines, where the planes are painted like killer whales, a typical. Southwest airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success, tells a story that perfectly exemplifies herb kelleher s humility and complete lack of ego. Now its dated, almost 20 years on it still shows how a company can make a.
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