How We Saved Continental
Critical Leadership Skills
Due: February 6th, 2014
Case Study #1
Right Away and All at Once: How We Saved Continental
In this article, Greg Brenneman recounts his experience with Continental airlines and how he was able to successfully turn the company around. Continental had achieved the 'luxurious' place of tenth out of the top ten airlines in the US based on customer service areas, and this was due to a number of problems. Brenneman explains that the method to reviving the crippled company was by correcting five major operating principles. They needed to "fly to places people needed to go; when they wanted to go; in clean, attractive airplanes; get them there on time with their bags; and serve food at mealtimes". Through Brenneman's leadership of the 40,000 workers at Continental, he was able to save the airline. Brenneman began his assignment at the company with Gordon Bethune, the newly appointed CEO of the company. Together, the duo created a strategy dubbed the Go Forward Plan. Included with this strategy was a financial plan, product plan, and people plan. Brenneman and Bethune analyzed areas of the company that were bleeding cash, and together they cut unproductive workers along with useless routes. Throughout this process, the duo stressed the creation of a workspace that encouraged workers to feel comfortable with the company. The duo held strong faith in each other and emphasized the concept of leading the company, not managing it, out of peril. Through belief in these guidelines and the men and women of Continental, Brenneman and Gordon Bethune were able to dream up a vision of turning the company around. But it was the extraordinary leadership abilities and traits of the duo that inspired their followers to believe in a future of prosperity after years of misguided visions. Great qualities of leaders are the ability to have a vision and the courage necessary to inspire followers to align with change. The author wrote that "It was
Due: February 6th, 2014
Case Study #1
Right Away and All at Once: How We Saved Continental
In this article, Greg Brenneman recounts his experience with Continental airlines and how he was able to successfully turn the company around. Continental had achieved the 'luxurious' place of tenth out of the top ten airlines in the US based on customer service areas, and this was due to a number of problems. Brenneman explains that the method to reviving the crippled company was by correcting five major operating principles. They needed to "fly to places people needed to go; when they wanted to go; in clean, attractive airplanes; get them there on time with their bags; and serve food at mealtimes". Through Brenneman's leadership of the 40,000 workers at Continental, he was able to save the airline. Brenneman began his assignment at the company with Gordon Bethune, the newly appointed CEO of the company. Together, the duo created a strategy dubbed the Go Forward Plan. Included with this strategy was a financial plan, product plan, and people plan. Brenneman and Bethune analyzed areas of the company that were bleeding cash, and together they cut unproductive workers along with useless routes. Throughout this process, the duo stressed the creation of a workspace that encouraged workers to feel comfortable with the company. The duo held strong faith in each other and emphasized the concept of leading the company, not managing it, out of peril. Through belief in these guidelines and the men and women of Continental, Brenneman and Gordon Bethune were able to dream up a vision of turning the company around. But it was the extraordinary leadership abilities and traits of the duo that inspired their followers to believe in a future of prosperity after years of misguided visions. Great qualities of leaders are the ability to have a vision and the courage necessary to inspire followers to align with change. The author wrote that "It was