How I Built This · January 23, 2017 · 48m

Southwest Airlines: Herb Kelleher

Herb Kelleher — a corporate lawyer — sketched a low-cost airline on a cocktail napkin. Competitors sued to prevent Southwest from ever flying. He spent years in court before earning a dollar. Then built the most profitable airline in history through employee-first culture.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Canon

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Focus only on what you can control — Kelleher fought lawsuits while building culture

Kelleher: competitors filed lawsuit after lawsuit to prevent Southwest from flying. He couldn't control whether judges ruled in his favor. He could control the culture he built while waiting. By the time the lawsuits ended, the culture was so strong that Southwest was unstoppable.

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