Introduction
Gary Kelly serves as the Chairman of the board, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Southwest Airlines. A 23-year veteran who becomes CEO in 1989, Gary has worked closely with southwest legendary cofounder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Keller and President Emeritus Colleen Barrett to build the nation’s largest airline in terms of passengers and the undisputed Low-Fare Leaders. Gary has received awards and recognitions, including being named one of Business Travel News’ 25 Most Influential Executives of 2004; named a finalist for Texan of the year by Dallas Morning News editor for the year 2005 and many more awards from 2008 to 2010 by Institutional Investors magazine. Gary received a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified public accountant. He is a member of the Texas Society of CPAs, chairs the McCombs School Advisory Council at the University of Texas at Austin and was recently named to the Lincoln National Corporation’s Board of (Directors.http://www.southwest.com/swamedia/bios/gary_kelly.html)
On June 18, Southwest Airlines will be turning 40 years old. More than 38 years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit. They are committed to provide employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, employees are provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the
References: http://hr.toolbox.com/blogs/360-degree-feedback/a-unique-leader-gary-kelly-ceo-of-southwest-airlines-41425 http://people.forbes.com/profile/gary-c-kelly/73447 http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/print-edition/2011/01/07/gary-kelly-selected-as-dbjs-ceo-of.html?page=all http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_CEO/2010/December/Dallas_CEO_of_the_Year_2010_Gary_Kelly_of_Southwest_Airlines.aspx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0V7W14VbFk&feature=relmfu http://www.temple.edu/newsroom/2006_2007/06/Stories/SouthwestCEO.htmEmerald Group Publishing Limited. (2005, February). Retrieved from Emerald Insight.com : http://managers.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/pdf/southwest.pdf?PHPSESSID=4eb7df1cdb821fb67f7ed1bec5f0eec7