Southwest Airlines is celebrating more than 50 years of putting People first by releasing a one-of-a-kind Leadership book, “Leading with Heart: Living & Working the Southwest Way.” Southwest® fans can purchase this unique book, highlighting Living & Working the Southwest Way as a set of fun and engaging Leadership tenets. This book, which shares valuable lessons from iconic Southwest Leaders past and present, is exclusively sold at Southwest® The Store.

“This engaging collection of Leadership lessons—shared from the perspectives of those who built our foundation and have led our Company throughout the years—celebrates Southwest’s decades-long commitment to putting People first,” said Bob Jordan, Chief Executive Officer for Southwest Airlines. “We hope this book will inspire all readers to lead by example, regardless of their title, job, or role in life.”

This special book represents the Company’s unique approach to Leadership, business, and life, based on more than five decades of insights from Founder Herb Kelleher, as well as President Emeritus Colleen Barrett, Executive Chairman of the Board and former Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly, Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan, President & Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven, and many others.

“Our beloved Founder, Herb Kelleher, described Southwest’s take on Leadership best when he said, ‘We think everybody is a Leader no matter what their job is. They’re setting an example by their conduct, and they should be inspirational.’ In other words, everyone has the innate ability to be a positive influence in the lives of those around them, and we want to foster and nurture those qualities,” said Gary Kelly, Executive Chairman of the Board and former Chief Executive Officer for Southwest Airlines. “The intention of this book is about sharing the unique Southwest approach to Leadership.”

As Southwest turns 51 years old this week, the Company celebrates its legacy of Leadership with the release of “Leading with Heart” to give readers a “behind-the-curtain” view into the beginnings of the Company’s unique Culture and how it’s maintained by the carrier’s Employees. This Fun-LUVing book is full of meaningful lessons and interesting anecdotes from Leaders throughout Southwest’s rich history to help readers find useful insights for their workplaces and daily lives. It features a special foreword by Executive Chairman of the Board and former Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly and it’s endorsed by authors Patrick Lencioni, Dave Ramsey, and Ken Blanchard, as well as by Coach Lou Holtz and Brian Brim, Ed.D.

“Leading with Heart” is the second of two exclusive books Southwest published to commemorate the Company’s colorful history and impactful legacy. The first is “50 Years. One Heart.”—a coffee-table book showcasing 50 important objects and artifacts accompanied by short stories from Southwest’s history—released last December.

Southwest Airlines is nominated as North America’s Leading Low-Cost Airline 2022 by World Travel Awards.