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
Learning objectives:
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
Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
2. How do the leaders of Southwest Airlines serve others? What others are they serving?
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
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 success as COO is
Potential teaching approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on skill theory and case study 10.3:
• Hold a lecture on servant leadership.
Exercises for this case study:
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.