Southwest Leadership Essay

The aviation industry is no stranger to Tech Innovations and Globalization having an effect on them. When Southwest began, it had to fight off various forms of these innovations in order to remain afloat without sacrificing the simplicity of design that the company valued. This company made an effort to remain true to itself despite outside influences raising questions of how it operated. When companies like American West showed up and reached the $1 billion revenue mark years before Southwest, the company didn’t change and stayed true to it’s niche and has remained profitable since by avoiding the debts associated with rapid expansion (Freiberg & Freiberg, 1996). Rather than having a complex computer ticketing system like many other carriers,

This expansion of my philosophy contributes to my competencies as a manager/leader/coworker by providing a reference that I can easily refer to when I encounter organizational issues in my career. For example, as an employee of a large corporate restaurant chain, I experience many negative aspects of bureaucracy that Southwest fought hard to avoid. I work in a place that places very little value on the frontline worker as it has a very large separation between each layer of management creating defensive communication climate that struggles to communicate openly about issues that it experiences on a day to day basis. In the future, I would like to think that if I was in a position where I can make an impact on these issues I will always be looking that situations in a way that allows for my to competently create open climates to tackle many problems that many corporate behemoths are blind to. When I read stories about Southwest stewardesses picking up trash from lobbies because it affects the company, I think of my coworkers leaving work early before they complete all task assigned to them because it’s not their problem. When I read about pilots figuring out ways to cut cost on fuel, I think of how the common lack of incentive for cooks and waiters to strive to keep food cost low. I realize that this book isn’t a solution to every organizational issue I could encounter and I’m sure even this company has