Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Case 10.3: Servant Leadership Takes
Flight
Case Synopsis and Analysis
Southwest Airlines is the focus of this case study. In this reading, students are able to see that
a large, profitable company can find and build success by applying principles of servant
leadership.
Southwest believes in the Golden Rule: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Their
model focuses on employee satisfaction first, followed by the needs of passengers. They hire
for attitude and train for skill.
Company cofounder Herb Kelleher is largely responsible for this attitude. He believed in
equality, collaboration, and employee satisfaction. He felt that an airline would succeed if it
took care of employees first. Herb did just that, as evidenced by the growth and success of
one of his first followers, Colleen Barrett. Colleen worked with Herb even before he founded
Southwest and grew to become COO of the airline. She was always treated like an equal, and
rose from Herb’s side to become a successful leader in the company.
Students will enjoy this profile. The professor may find it useful to show interviews or clips
from Herb and/or Colleen that speak to Southwest’s philosophy. As well, a debate could be
an interesting activity for this case study (see teaching approaches below).
Learning objectives:
• Students should be able to apply the servant leader behaviors to a leader.
• Students should begin to understand some of the strengths of being a servant
leader.
Answers to questions in the text:
1. What type of servant leader behaviors did Herb Kelleher exhibit in starting the
airline? What about Colleen Barrett?
There are seven servant leader behaviors that are at the core of the servant leadership
process. They are conceptualizing (the leader’s thorough understanding of the
organization), emotional healing (being sensitive to the needs and concerns of others),
putting followers first, helping followers grow and succeed, behaving ethically,
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
2. How do the leaders of Southwest Airlines serve others? What others are they serving?
Leaders of Southwest first serve employees. Indeed, the main focus for leaders is
3. Southwest Airlines emphasizes the Golden Rule. What role does the Golden Rule
play in servant leadership? Is it always a part of servant leadership? Discuss.
The Golden Rule says that you should treat people the way you want to be treated.
This rule aligns with Greenleaf’s definition. Greenleaf has written that servant
4. Based on Figure 10.1, describe the outcomes of servant leadership at Southwest
Airlines and how follower receptivity may have influenced those outcomes.
Southwest Airlines obtained a number of outcomes as a result of Colleen’s servant
leadership. It succeeded in helping followers grow and perform. Colleen’s growth and
Potential teaching approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on Servant Leadership and Case Study 10.3:
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
• Hold a lecture on servant leadership.
• Ask students to read Case 10.3 and answer the questions.
• Discuss Questions 1–4 in the case study as a class.
• Finally, the professor may choose to conduct in-class exercises listed below.
Exercises for this case study:
1) The professor should show a video clip and/or interviews about Southwest Airlines,
and key players within the organization.
2) The professor should have a debate about the usefulness of servant leadership in a
for-profit institution. Students should have time to prepare for the debate, with the
debate taking place after the preparation.
Some of the class will argue that servant leadership is the best model for businesses.
3) In small groups, after watching the videos listed above, students should discuss