The Life of a Man with Different Dreams! Heather N. Belasic Keiser University, Fort Lauderdale, FL February 23, 2017 The Life of a Man with Different Dreams! Growing up Gary Kelly never dreamed of working for Southwest, or even being in business for that matter. Starting out at a company as a controller and now is one of the top leaders for a company that is ranked in the top 15 best places to work for. Southwest who has never had any layoffs, even when business was down around the world. As you read you will find out about Gary and his personal life, his rewards and recognitions, and why he is known as one of the best CEO’s to work for. Gary Kelly was born in San Antonio, Texas on March 12, 1955. Growing up he lived on a ranch in …show more content…
Kelly has received several awards and recognitions over his span of working with Southwest. He had a very busy and rewarding year in 2013; he was named Father of the Year, inducted into the Hall of Fame at the McCombs School of Business, and received the McLane Leadership in Business award at Texas A&M. He was also recognized in 2014 by Fortune The Magazine’s top 20 people in business. He has since been twice named CEO of the year, and one of the best CEO’s in America for three years by the institutional Investor Magazine. His latest recognition in 2017 was being inducted into the Junior Achievement Dallas Business Hall of Fame. There are several reasons why Mr. Kelly is known as one of the best CEO’s to work for. He takes his job very seriously but can also have fun at the same time. Per his father, he came into work one Halloween dressed up as Gene Simmons, and another Halloween in a bright pink dress with bright red lipstick. Mr. Kelly proves he is people oriented, a family man (which carries over into his job). It says a lot about a person when they are voted one of the best CEO’s three years in a …show more content…
When you work for Southwest while Gary Kelly is CEO it shows on the employees and customers faces, and in Southwest’s sales. From growing up wanting to be an Oceanographer to running one of the top Airlines in the country must be a rewarding job. Winning countless awards like Father of the Year, and recognitions in The Hall of Fame, and just being an all-around great leader. That’s what makes Gary Kelly a successful man and a very successful leader. When you are, successful and enjoy your job, the company you work for can only get better. References Airlines, S. (2015, December 10). Southwest Airlines Recognized As One Of Best Places To Work In 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2017, from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southwest-airlines-recognized-as-one-of-best-places-to-work-in-2015-300007941.html Beam, G., Westphall, K., Goodman, M., Goodman, M., Clark, C., Clark, C., . . . Macon, A. (2010). CEO of the Year (Again!): Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines. Retrieved February 21, 2017, from http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2010/december/dallas-ceo-of-the-year-2010-gary-kelly-of-southwest-airlines/ Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Co: Profile & Biography - Bloomberg. (2017). Retrieved February 23, 2017, from