This trickled down through the lower levels of leadership, as well. The new COO had little or no operational background. Gary named another accountant to be Chief Operating Officer (the person responsible for day to day operations). When the CEO doesn’t get out in the trenches the neither do the lower levels of leadership. He didn’t engage front line employees much. He did not spend much time on the front lines. Gary was an accountant by education and his style leading Southwest Airlines became more focused on finances and less on operations. When Herb retired in 2004 Gary Kelly became the new CEO. Everything that was needed to run a first class operation. We had tools, leadership and employee buy in.
We were a tight operation from top to bottom. That philosophy flowed down through the ranks of leadership to the front line managers. He always had his pulse on the day to day operation and the people who ran it. Herb spent lots of time on the front line. He was a very operationally oriented leader. Herb Kelleher was the brilliant CEO of SWA until 2004. What happened yesterday started two decades ago. And we’ve been begging our leadership to make much needed changes in order to avoid it.
Unfortunately, the frontline employees have been watching this meltdown coming like a slow motion train wreck for sometime. Many of you have asked what caused this epic meltdown. And quite honestly Southwest Airlines has given its heart and soul to me and my family. I’ve given my heart and soul to Southwest Airlines during those years. I’ve been a pilot for Southwest Airlines for over 35 years. Rebuilding the trust and commitment of Southwest employees will be much more challenging. In many ways, rebuilding the infrastructure and information systems that were apparently neglected for years will be the easy part. We are sorry for the chaos, inconvenience and frustration our airline caused you. A particularly poignant section of his post says it all: "We are sorry. But most of all, they let down their loyal employees. Lonero points out, Southwest let down passengers this week. and incredibly sad all at the same time.Īs dedicated pilot Mr. He tried to bring back the old Southwest spirit that was nurtured under founder Herb Kelleher by singing to us, making us laugh, and trying to assure us how much Southwest really cared about us. He and the pilots apologized over and over again. He was watching real-time the company he loved and helped build melt down right before his eyes - and the eyes of the families he loved to serve.
We were connecting through Denver on Christmas Day and only made it to see our son in southern California because of the "luv" and dedication of a long-time SWA flight attendant who came in to cover for one of his colleagues. My wife and I were caught in the middle of the Southwest fiasco this week. It is an important article for leaders in any industry - especially healthcare - to read and reflect on. Below, I'm sharing an incredibly powerful, heartfelt post that originally appeared on Facebook from 35-year Southwest pilot Larry Lonero.
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