Colleen Barrett, President of Southwest Airlines was a recent speaker at the Wharton School of Management at the University of Pennsylvania. Her speech to Wharton MBA candidates during the 12th annual Wharton Leadership Conference is about servant leadership.
Ms. Barrett was Herb Kelleher's legal secretary who eventually was appointed SWA President. I can tell you right now some folks at United, US Airways, Northwest, Delta and others could do well by paying attention to her description of customer value.
My grandmother was a "legal secretary" (but actually a bar admitted lawyer) to the CEO of Lockheed Georgia Company in the 60's. As the father of 3 young ladies, I sometimes wonder if she had been born 30 years later, what an amazing career "Nana" could have had. Such were the career limitations for women in those days.
Colleen Barrett delivers a unique value to Southwest Airlines. SWA is lucky to have her. She however is also unbelievably blessed to have worked for Herb.
Her message here is amazing.
Eric
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Eric, thanks for sharing this. It just confirms that employees come before customers. If your employees are happy, motivated, mutually supportive, and driven by the notion of service, then you can't help but have satisfied customers. Obviously you have to have a sound business model - but the attitude of the employees will determine the sustainability of that model.
Posted by: Paul Gooch, The Logical Group | July 18, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Hey was very pleased to see freightdawg.com got a little link luv from SWA!
http://www.blogsouthwest.com/news/southwest-airlines-president-servant-leadership-wharton
Eric
Posted by: eric | July 12, 2008 at 09:45 PM
I'm glad you found and posted this, Eric. I heard Colleen Barrett speak two or three years ago at the Leadership Summit (http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2008/). She was just as amazing then as in this interview. Quite refreshing that simple values can be so powerful and so rewarding to everyone involved.
Posted by: Richard Palarea, COO | July 12, 2008 at 08:02 AM