Great Southwest figures like Herb Kelleher, Colleen Barrett, and others exemplify many of the virtues that go into outstanding leadership. The chapter emphasizes the Southwest airline's constant creative thinking, and its people's ability to “think out of the box”, and develops new ways of approaching work. Southwest's creativity includes new procedures and new ways of doing business that have lowered the cost of flying and made air travel available to millions of new passengers. It has also introduced attitudes that challenge the “profit first” mentality of so much American business. By prioritizing employees and building relationships with internal and external customers on the basis of trust and mutual respect, Southwest has shown that moral excellence fosters long-term business success.

Controlled Vocabulary Terms

business; creative thinking; leadership