A couple of weeks ago, I drove out to Dallas to spend the weekend with our daughter Allison Munro who just started her new job at Southwest Airlines.
I’ve been a loyal Southwest passenger since 2002 so when my daughter landed a job there, I was ecstatic. On Saturday, she took me for a tour of the corporate headquarters and then showed me her cubicle. These were my observations:
Herb Kelleher (the founder of SWA) is still “leading” the company even though he retired in 2001 and passed away in 2019. His office, along with that of his successor Colleen Barrett is still there, now behind plexiglass just as they left it. Both offices are filled with photos and memorabilia.
And so is the rest of the HQ. There are photos of group events, lots of pics of Herb, and multiple homages to the company’s lean and mean startup and disruptor history. As I walked around some of the cubicles, employees decorated them in unique and special ways. There were streamers, balloons, toys, pictures, and banners. I wanted to take photos, but I didn’t. I felt like an intruder in a very special place. These people are family to each other. My daughter felt it even before Day #1.
It’s an honor to Herb Kelleher, but you get the sense that this company is all about Southwest’s people and its loyal customers. Touring the HQ wasn’t on my bucket list, but after going, I quickly added it to my list and crossed it off.
On Sunday, we took a tour of AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play their home games. This stadium was the first of the modern football stadiums, complete with a retractable roof and massive scoreboard.
The tour was great and led by a little Texas grandma named Sammeye. She was hilarious and knew that stadium inside and out.
We went to the very top of the stadium and then down to ground level where we toured the cheerleader’s locker room, then the player’s locker room. I’m not a Cowboys fan, but this was an amazing tour.
But something was a little off. While the stadium was the cleanest and most beautiful I’d ever seen, it was also a living tribute to the team owner, Jerry Jones.
The inside of the stadium was all about him. He purchased the Cowboys in 1989 and summarily fired legendary coach Tom Landry. He installed Jimmy Johnson, his college teammate at the University of Arkansas. The Cowboys suffered a couple of losing seasons, but then rebounded to win three Superbowls in the 1990s. Jones and Johnson had a falling out after the second Superbowl win, and Jones fired him.
Sammeye told us that all the big photos around the stadium that were in black and white are of events that took place before Jones bought the team. The ones after are in brilliant color. In one section, where Cowboy players who also played in the Cotton Bowl in Texas are shown in large cardboard cutouts, Jerry Jones is there, but conspicuously absent is fellow Razorback teammate Jimmy Johnson. The stadium is a tribute by Jerry, for Jerry. And the public gets to pay to see it.
The video clip and quote this week is from The Lion King. It’s a quick line from Mufasa to his son Simba as he is preparing him to one day be king. It’s also a good line for anyone aspiring to a leadership role:
“There’s more to being king that getting your way all the time.”
In my tale of two Houses, there are two kings. One ruled selflessly and had loyal followers. His tenure is still looked upon fondly and his memory is alive in every part of his old kingdom.
In the other House, it’s clear who the king is. I’m sure he’s respected. Maybe even feared. But loved? I’m not so sure. And one day when the team changes hands, I wonder what his legacy will be.
There is more to being king than getting your way. It’s about leading with compassion, humor, vision, encouragement, and most of all, love. I always felt it when I flew SWA, but I can truly see it after visiting Herb’s house.
If you’re a leader, how are your followers viewing you and your legacy? Is it all about you or is it about what you are doing for others, through others. How will you be remembered?