Who Is Herb Kelleher?
In Herb Kelleher’s own words, ““Causing people to willingly and happily coalesce in pursuit of a common and uplifting goal,” (Kelleher). Herb Kelleher is one of the co-founders of Southwest Airlines. His integrity, experiences, unique take on leadership, and ambition made the company what it is today, the fifth most popular Airline in the United States. Kelleher was born on March 12, 1921 and is still living today now at the age of 83. Kelleher grew up in Camden, New Jersey and raised his family there until he uprooted them and moved to Texas in the 1960s to start a new venture of his life. Kelleher attended many schools in his time, going to Haddon Heights High school, followed by Wesleyan College for his bachelors, then New York University
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His client, Rollin King, who had owned a small air service in San Antonio, tried to persuade Kelleher to help him with his dream to find a cheaper and more convenient way of travel to a triangle of cities like, Houston, San Antonio, as well as Dallas. Kelleher agreed, the company’s first paperwork was then sketched on a cocktail napkin. He filed Southwest’s incorporation documents during March of 1967 and the required documents to fly the following November. Kelleher could not just jump into the entrepreneurial business without any qualifying skills, he had great leadership, a kind that differed him from the competition, he did not just let the head executives make all the decisions, each employee was involved in decision processes. He used this skill along with determination, and integrity to build the business. Southwest Airlines were off to a rocky start, the monopolizing airlines did not like the cheaper airline. Kelleher’s airline goal was to eliminate unnecessary services and wanted to make the airlines cheaper or maintain the lowest fares he utilized secondary airports which are smaller airports. The competition, large airlines like Branniff, came back with lawsuits and restraining orders against Southwest. Southwest did not go down without a fight, when Southwest had been in the running for only five months, the two-tier fare system
His client, Rollin King, who had owned a small air service in San Antonio, tried to persuade Kelleher to help him with his dream to find a cheaper and more convenient way of travel to a triangle of cities like, Houston, San Antonio, as well as Dallas. Kelleher agreed, the company’s first paperwork was then sketched on a cocktail napkin. He filed Southwest’s incorporation documents during March of 1967 and the required documents to fly the following November. Kelleher could not just jump into the entrepreneurial business without any qualifying skills, he had great leadership, a kind that differed him from the competition, he did not just let the head executives make all the decisions, each employee was involved in decision processes. He used this skill along with determination, and integrity to build the business. Southwest Airlines were off to a rocky start, the monopolizing airlines did not like the cheaper airline. Kelleher’s airline goal was to eliminate unnecessary services and wanted to make the airlines cheaper or maintain the lowest fares he utilized secondary airports which are smaller airports. The competition, large airlines like Branniff, came back with lawsuits and restraining orders against Southwest. Southwest did not go down without a fight, when Southwest had been in the running for only five months, the two-tier fare system