CEO Gary Kelly
Leadership Style; What Do People Do When They Are Leading?
BUS520: Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Strayer University
6/08/2014
Leadership Style: CEO Gary Kelly Southwest Airline Gary Kelly grew up in San Antonio Texas and he was active in his school years. He played every sport but baseball. Most of the time, he was the team captain, and also he was voted to be the president of his class. He also learned to play the guitar and trombone. He still enjoys playing the guitar for 30 minutes every day. After graduating from high school, he went to college and played football; after a losing season, he decided to study to be an accountant like his father. After graduating from college, he was working at Arthur Young & Co. at the Dallas office. One of the office’s top clients was Southwest Airline. In 1986, Gary started working at Southwest Airline as a controller. From 1989-2001 he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer; 2001-2004 he was Executive Vice President, CFO; 2004-2008 Chief Executive Officer and in 2008 after the retirement of the co-founder Kelleher, Gary became the President and Chairman of the board. Gary has had many accomplishments during his carrier with Southwest. He has been named the CEO of the Year by D CEO Magazine, by Institutional Investor Magazine three times, and also by the Dallas Business Journal.
Gary’s Leadership Style Gary leadership style is unique. His qualities are humbleness to the dependency of those around him, persistence, hard work, passion and caring for his family (Hill). How did he accomplish these qualities? He understood that he cannot do the job by himself, and that he needed to depend on people to help him. He understood that he was not alone. Always getting another executive 's inputs during decision making processes was also a key. Gary never gave up; working hard and is passionate about what he does. He is very passionate about his employees. Employees are like family. Another
BUS520: Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Strayer University
6/08/2014
Leadership Style: CEO Gary Kelly Southwest Airline Gary Kelly grew up in San Antonio Texas and he was active in his school years. He played every sport but baseball. Most of the time, he was the team captain, and also he was voted to be the president of his class. He also learned to play the guitar and trombone. He still enjoys playing the guitar for 30 minutes every day. After graduating from high school, he went to college and played football; after a losing season, he decided to study to be an accountant like his father. After graduating from college, he was working at Arthur Young & Co. at the Dallas office. One of the office’s top clients was Southwest Airline. In 1986, Gary started working at Southwest Airline as a controller. From 1989-2001 he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer; 2001-2004 he was Executive Vice President, CFO; 2004-2008 Chief Executive Officer and in 2008 after the retirement of the co-founder Kelleher, Gary became the President and Chairman of the board. Gary has had many accomplishments during his carrier with Southwest. He has been named the CEO of the Year by D CEO Magazine, by Institutional Investor Magazine three times, and also by the Dallas Business Journal.
Gary’s Leadership Style Gary leadership style is unique. His qualities are humbleness to the dependency of those around him, persistence, hard work, passion and caring for his family (Hill). How did he accomplish these qualities? He understood that he cannot do the job by himself, and that he needed to depend on people to help him. He understood that he was not alone. Always getting another executive 's inputs during decision making processes was also a key. Gary never gave up; working hard and is passionate about what he does. He is very passionate about his employees. Employees are like family. Another
References: Hill, H. L, Inside Southwest Airline: With CEO Gary Kelly, URL; http//www.heatherleighhill.com/…/an-interview-with-southwest-airlines-ceo-gary-kelly. Leadership Secrets of Gary Kelly, Chairman CEO of Southwest Airline (September 21, 2013), Trading Secrets, URL: tradesec,blogspot.com/2013/09/leadership-secret-of-gary-kelly.html. Mueller, T, October 8, 2009, Southwest Airlines CEO Kelly on Luv, Leadership and Employee and Customer Satisfaction, McCombs Today, URL; www.today.mccombs.utexas.edu/print/3249. Schermerhorn, J. R., Osborn, R. N., Uhl-Bien, M., Hunts, J. G. (2012), Organization Cultures, Organizational Behavior, p.p. 347-367. Southwest Company Profile, URL; http://swamedia.com/channels/Officer- Biographies/pages/gary_kelly.