100 Entrepreneurs Who Changed The World
38. Kelleher, Herb (1931- )
“Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that.”
Herb Kelleher is an American lawyer, businessman, and the co-founder, Chairman Emeritus, and former CEO of Southwest Airlines. The idea for Southwest Airlines was hatched in 1970 by one of Kelleher’s legal clients, Rollin King. Legal challenges from competitors would keep the airline grounded for another year. Once the airline took flight in 1971, however, Southwest Airlines became an instant success. They cut unnecessary services as a way to help them offer lower fares to customers and they utilized smaller airports rather than a “hub-and-spoke” model where all traffic originates and returns from a central point. He has been one of the greatest CEO’s in America.
