Resources

Have you ever been onboard one of our amazing Southwest Airlines’ flights and forgotten that you’re actually high above the ground, traveling hundreds of miles per hour? I’ve caught myself losing sight of that as well, and I’m reminded that is exactly the level of trust and confidence we hope to achieve in serving our Customers.

Throughout my career, I’ve spent considerable time navigating choices that would foster personal and professional growth. Finding a corporate culture that promotes being your authentic self while empowering you to define your own career journey is like shopping at Walmart – it has everything! I can get an oil change, groceries, and a TV! Southwest is a lot like a “one stop shop” for development.

When I began my career, I had one requirement: every day needed to look a little different. I craved exposure to new experiences and new projects (which is a polite way of saying I had no idea what I wanted to do and needed a job that would allow me to figure it out). What I realized, however, is my desire was not for constant change but constant learning. Southwest has been that perfect place for me.

My 38 years at Southwest have been a journey filled with immense gratitude. I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of strong leadership and the profound impact it has on an organization and its people, especially when facing adversity. Through the years, I’ve experienced my share of challenges, and one lesson I learned early on from Colleen Barrett (namesake of the CCB Institute) was that the defining factor in navigating storms is the quality of leadership at the helm.

In today’s workplace, effectively growing and managing diverse Teams is paramount to success. Southwest Airlines President Emeritus, the late Colleen Barrett, mastered this principle, and I am blessed to be able to apply her lessons firsthand from seeing years of her “walking the talk.”

At Southwest Airlines, we pride ourselves in putting our People first—whether that’s your Fellow Employee (Coheart) sitting next to you in a meeting or the Customer you’re helping board one of our planes. In my more than 16 years working at Southwest, I’ve had many opportunities to see that People-first mentality modeled by Leaders (first established by our beloved President Emeritus, the late Colleen Barrett).