Herb Kelleher People Quotations

One piece of advice that always stuck in my mind is that people should be respected and trusted as people, not because of their position or title.

Everybody in Texas would tell me that they thought I was nuts trying to start Southwest Airlines. There probably weren't 10 people in the state who would have given a plug nickel for our chances of making a dollar. So sometimes, you need a little courage, too, just to buck popular opinion.

If you don't treat your own people well, they won't treat other people well.

The business of business is people.

Keep costs low and spirits high, and the people of Southwest Airlines will keep LUV in the air.

People with different personalities, different approaches, different values succeed not because one set of values or priorities is superior but because their values and practices are genuine.

You have to have the service mentality in the sense that you subjugate your own ego, and you subjugate a large part of your own life to really helping other people, being successful on their behalf.

The more time I spend with our people, the more I find out about our business.

Your people come first, and if you treat them right, they'll treat the customers right.

The tragedy of our time is that we've got it backwards, we've learned to love techniques and use people.

I've found that many of the greatest ideas surface in bars because that's where many people cultivate inspiration.

We will hire someone with less experience, less education, and less expertise, than someone who has more of those things and has a rotten attitude. Because we can train people. We can teach people how to lead. We can teach people how to provide customer service. But we can't change their DNA.

You must be very patient, very persistent. The world isn't going to shower gold coins on you just because you have a good idea. You're going to have to work like crazy to bring that idea to the attention of people. They're not going to buy it unless they know about it.

If you create an environment where the people truly participate, you don't need control. They know what needs to be done and they do it. And the more that people will devote themselves to your cause on a voluntary basis, a willing basis, the fewer hierarchies and control mechanisms you need.

When I started working on Southwest Airlines, I kid you not, only people flying on business and very wealthy people ever flew.