Southwest Airlines: Linda Rutherford - Weathering the Storm with Culture

Oct 10, 2023

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

"Still, you saw those moments of person-to-person care and outreach that really do illuminate what it means to be a Southwest Airlines warrior, and that is that we're in this together. We're going to take care of each other and we're going to figure out how to get out of this.” - Linda Rutherford

Tough times fall on all organizations. Whether it be from mistakes made within, unpredictable storms or financial events, and even pandemics… things can happen. And when they do, having a strong foundation of good culture and a committed team is going to make all the difference.

Southwest Airlines has spent its nearly six decades of existence building and maintaining a strong and healthy culture in its workplace. But the major winter storm of December 2022 put that culture to the ultimate test. When everything was going wrong, they were fortunate that their people were able to pull them through to the other side.

In this episode, Linda Rutherford, Chief Administration Officer of Southwest Airlines, shares the behind-the-scenes story of their storm experience. We'll gain insight into how their culture carried them through and we’ll offer valuable lessons on fostering resilience through culture within all organizations.

Contents

1 - Linda’s journey to Southwest (1:55)

2 - Southwest’s focus on culture (5:58)

3 - When the storm hit (7:39)

4 - How culture led them through (17:22)

5 - What they learned from the experience (19:14)

6 - How to build and maintain culture over time (22:05)

Links

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising? At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster! And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.