Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

Best Company for Leadership Award

ebryant1
Explorer C

I was visiting a class in our University for People recently and overheard a conversation by two Leaders who were in town for a workshop.  One Leader stated “Being a Manager is a job description, becoming a Leader is a choice.”   Wow, he nailed it.

We were proud to learn today that Southwest placed #2 on Business Week’s list of 2009 Best Companies for Leadership.  This is a great honor and I couldn’t be more proud of our Company.  In 2009, a time when many companies were eliminating jobs, reducing training and development activities, we were steadfast in our commitment to grow our Employees.   In addition to adding workshops and classes to our comprehensive University curriculum, we expanded our Talent Development efforts to embed “Talent Coaches” to support a rhythm of goal setting and performance feedback to grow our Leaders.  Our Employment Team works hard to find the best talent and it is our responsibility to grow, nurture, and develop our Leaders to be the Best they can be.  We know we have the BEST Leaders, now everyone else knows too. 

7 Comments
Anonymous437
Explorer C
This perfectly shows the sad state of modern corporate america.
Anonymous456
Explorer C
Your treatment of Kevin Smith was horrible. I used to be a big fan of Southwest, but this incident makes it clear that you are just as bad as all the other airlines. This incident also make it clear that the leadership within your airline leaves a lot to be desired. Shame on you!
Anonymous2022
Explorer C
Comments that hit too close to home aren't published.
blusk
Aviator C
Not hardly,. Anonymous 21:41. All you have to do is look at the approximately 3,500 comments we have posted this week. We are just trying to keep each post on topic. Brian
Dale3
Explorer C
"Not hardly,. Anonymous 21:41. All you have to do is look at the approximately 3,500 comments we have posted this week. We are just trying to keep each post on topic." Bullcrap. You're cherry-picking the comments and letting just a few of the flood of anti-Southwest posts trickle in just to cover your corporate ASS-ets by hiding behind your "approval" process. I'm sure there have been a Hell of a lot more than "3500 comments" crapping on Southwest Airlines alone this week because you see almost that much on local newspaper commentary boards. Southwest "Leadership" = Censorship, cowardice and lying to anybody who'll listen. So yeah, Southwest gets my vote as well for "Best Company For Leadership". If "Southwest placed #2 on Business Week’s list of 2009 Best Companies for Leadership" you can bet somebody at Business Week is pasting huge asterisks next to that notation and mentioning to it's readers that it was before Southwest flushed its reputation down the toilet by mishandling the Kevin Smith fiasco...
Cathy_ZeeM
Explorer C
Brian, Southwest IS picking and choosing the comments that are being left on the blog. The comment that I posted (for approval that, I guess, has been denied) right after the this entry had been posted has never appeared and it was COMPLETELY ON TOPIC. As stated in my original comment: You do NOT have the BEST LEADERS, as you state in the last sentence of this post. According to the source you site, they are SECOND BEST. I am simply amazed that Southwest Airlines has not learned their lesson yet, and learned to TELL THE TRUTH!
Anonymous2484
Explorer C
These posts make me sad. As a Customer who has had the luxury of paying full price for my ticket then having to sit next to someone who spills over into my seating area, I'm thankful that Southwest is sticking to its Customer of Size policy that it has had since the beginning. I recall my horrid flight to this day, and it was over eight years ago. I was forced to sit on a full aircraft next to a lady who was desperately uncomfortable in her seat and continuously repositioned herself. I had her right leg plastered on mine for the entire flight and--here's the icing on the cake--we were both in shorts, as it was summertime. One of us shaved... one of us didn't. I was disgusted, and my flight was ruined. So, for all of us other folks who approve of charging for two seats if it is deemed necessary, thank you Southwest Airlines for sticking to your policy and thinking of ALL of your Customers; not just the ones who happen to have a noticeable name in the media. We all LUV you!!