Question

olleen Barrett is the former president of Southwest Airlines. She is a proponent of servant leadership and provides a case study of servant leadership in the assigned video, "Southwest Airlines' Colleen Barrett on 'Servant Leadership,'" and the article, "Servant Leadership."

Describe the ways Southwest Airlines uses servant leadership. What did you learn about servant leadership from the video? In what ways will you apply servant leadership in your field? How does servant leadership fit into Grand Canyon University's Christian worldview?

Answer 1

Describe the ways Southwest Airlines uses servant leadership.

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy which puts the needs of others first. The priority for this leadership style is meeting others’ requirements and uses their abilities to help people to perform more efficiently than before.

Colleen Barrett, former President of the Southwest Airlines explains the concept of Servant Leadership in the video. She explains that the best way to manage is to take care of others.

Southwest Airlines wanted to be the best airlines on the West Coast. The company implemented servant leadership philosophy to achieve this goal.

• The company’s priority was their employees and they made the employees feel valued. The company felt that employee satisfaction is of great importance however they also felt that if the employees are being taken care of the best way, then the employees would be inclined to create a most beautiful experience to the passengers. This strategy would make the passengers feel satisfied and finally they would keep coming back as a loyal customer.
• Southwest Airlines believed that if they gave best experience to the employees then they would in-turn make the customers happy. The attention of the company was not only to make the customers and the shareholders happy, but their priority is employees. Employees are provided training and all are treated as equal irrespective of the title or seniority. The success of Southwest Airlines is letting their staff know that they are crucial for the success of the business.

What did you learn about servant leadership from the video?

I learnt that even in the sluggish economy, the company can treat the employees and customers well. The importance of servant leadership is highlighted in the company. The company has saved $2 billion and this was possible only because of the servant leadership philosophy which puts forth the satisfaction of the employees and customers first.

In what ways will you apply servant leadership in your field?

Personally speaking, I aspire to start up an export and import business with an average number of 5 employees. Like Southwest Airlines, I strongly believe that employees are the priority in the company. They would be taken care of the best way which would make them contribute effectively for the company growth. I would make them feel valued and also their contribution is crucial for the start-up. This would make them understand the criticalities of the business and work efficiently to make the company a success.

How does servant leadership fit into Grand Canyon University's Christian worldview?

Grand Canyon University's Christian worldview is committed to provide education to the students in the stream of Theology. The GCU is committed in instilling the servant leadership within their programs, curriculum and their online coaching and courses. The university’s main aim is not only provide good education and excellent student experience. The University also aims at creating innovative servant leaders for the workforce and community. The University uses servant leadership in creating aspiring Christian leaders benefitting the society and the community.