In the past, leadership style in organizations was characterized by a focus on task and relationship behaviors. This paper is informed by an interview carried out with the Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Airlines, Gary Clayton Kelly. Kelly was chosen because of his success at the airlines, which has seen him transform the company into the nation’s largest domestic passenger carrier. Kelly has held the position since 2008. Prior to becoming the CEO, he had worked with Southwest Airlines for over 30 years since joining as Controller. Since then he has risen to become the Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO from Chief Finance Officer, Executive Vice President and CFO and later CEO and Vice Chairman in 2004. Before joining Southwest Airlines, Kelly worked as a Certified Public Accountant at Arthur Young & Company. Under Kelly’s watch, the airline was ranked the first in …show more content…
The following questions were asked: Student: How did you get to where you are today? Gary Kelly: I started out as Controller over 30 years ago before rising to the Chief Finance Officer and later CEO and Vice Chairman then to my current position as CEO, Chairman, and President of Southwest Airlines. However, my journey to the top has never been easy as it involved a lot of commitment and hard work. S: How would you qualify your leadership style (e.g., servant, transformational, democratic, etc.)? GK: I can say that my leadership style is transformational. I believe in engaging in mutually beneficial exchanges between myself and members of an organization to achieve the necessary tasks. I also seek to inspire employees by recognizing their deeper values and purpose in addition to providing fascinating visions of a better organizational future, and inspiring trust through self-confidence and conviction. S: How would your staff and colleagues describe your leadership