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John P. Kotter
This article is more than 5 years old.

One of the world’s best business leaders from the last half-century died Thursday. Herb Kelleher’s passing was well noted in the business press where he was hailed mostly as the strategic genius who created the first really successful low-cost airline, opening up air travel to millions who had been priced out of the market; and/or as a wonderfully zany character who smoked, drank, laughed loudly and enjoyed parties, setting a standard for having fun which his employees passed on to customers.

But little was said about Kelleher as a leader, which he was, par excellence. That’s a pity, since a lot of people could learn about how to create winning organizations by studying Herb’s leadership.

Like all great leaders, he spent much time outside of his office with his “followers.” He showed them the firm’s strategy and its culture through his actions. He showed how much he valued employees, customers and the people who were willing to invest in a potentially crazy set of ideas. He also encouraged everyone in the firm to use their brains and personalities to do the right thing. If you see an issue, be a leader in dealing with it no matter where you are in the hierarchy. As a result, first dozens, then thousands, then tens of thousands of people actually paid attention to customers, to their direct reports and to costs (much appreciated by stockholders). And when they saw a problem or an opportunity, a remarkable number of the staff did not hesitate to act, helping each flight go well and, over time, helping change the structure, systems and policies as was needed to keep the firm growing.

Jim Heskett and I found precisely this pattern of valuing all key constituencies and empowering action from below to be at the core of the cultures of leading firms in most industries. And culture is the natural terrain of people who are great leaders – and not necessarily the case of those who are only great managers.

60 Minutes did a profile of Kelleher and Southwest about the time it crossed the $1 billion mark in revenues. (Today sales are well past $20 billion per year.) If you have never seen the show, you should – it’s great fun to watch. Among other things, it blows a hole in so many stereotypes: a raucous, fun loving, anything-but-corporate looking person running a big complex business; a strong personality who can show amazing sensitivity and gentleness with people; the look of a teacher or an HR executive who, in fact, was a lawyer!

We will miss you, Herb.