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Quirky CEO


Last week Herb Kelleher, the co-founder of Southwest Airlines, passed away, ushering-in a steady stream of memorials and upbeat obituaries for a man who the New York Times credited with a “quirky” style that yielded steady profits. He was famous for his devotion to Wild Turkey, riding his Harley, and chain-smoking. But more importantly, under his watch, SW has reported profits for each of the past 45 years in an industry famous for boom and bust performance. As I explored what distinguished Herb from other executives, I found that he excelled for a number of rather simple and straightforward reasons.

His first secret was to put employees first — he remembered birthdays, comforted them in their sorrows, let them take figure out how to solve problems, all of which he said made them want to please customers and fostered a powerful company spirit.

Secondly, he kept things simple. SW is famous for delivering for its customers great service and the basics; affordable travel for more people and reliability in an industry recognized for unreliable service. Herb even wrote his own responses to angry customers. He really was a very special executive. I enjoy learning about great leaders and what makes them great. Herb Kelleher is close to the top of my list.

About the SelectLeaders Job Barometer

The SelectLeaders Job Barometer, published since 2006, is the foremost survey of employment opportunities, trends, and hiring practices in the commercial real estate industry.

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SelectLeaders powers the Career Centers for 9 premier real estate industry Associations (whose members control or direct 90% of commercial real estate). Jobs are from all sectors and all levels with 29% paying over $100,000. SelectLeaders Job Network offers unequalled access to the Real Estate community. To learn more visit selectleaders.com or visit our Job Network Career Centers: BOMA, CCIM, CREFC, GlobeST.com, NAIOP, NAREIM, NAREIT, NMHC, PREA, Project REAP, ULI, NRHC


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