Leaders must exist on every level for an organization to thrive, says Parker. "Frontline leadership, which is in many ways the most important level of leadership, is the area where a lot of companies fall apart. When they think about leadership training, what they're usually thinking about are executives who might be a vice-president or CEO someday. They don't put as much effort into training those frontline leaders, which is where a company most directly touches its customers and its employees" (Holstein 2007, p.2).
Leadership by example must be shown at every level a well. Parker took pride at being one of the poorest CEOs in corporate America, noting that this was especially important during the cash-strapped days after 9/11 for an airline company. When sacrifices are called for, everyone must make sacrifices. Also, as a low-cost airline, keeping to a tight bottom line had to become...
But everyone profited when things were going well: "While I was CEO, we gave stock options to every employee at every level, contract or noncontract, from the CEO to the guys who cleaned the bathrooms," said Parker (Holstein 2007, p.2). There must be a unified ownership mentality, and pilots must not see themselves as pilots, but as Southwest employees, just as CEOs must not see themselves as individuals, or as management, but as members of the Southwest organization.
Leadership training is about seeing every member of the organization as a potential leader, in his or her capacity. Also, it is about unity just as it is as much about individualism and rewarding top performers with leadership positions. Given that the 'real work' of an organization often begins at the bottom, much can be learned from Southwest's integrated and continuing leadership training program.
