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)
Chief Administration and Communications Officer
Linda Rutherford is known for creating and leading powerful teams that deliver award-winning communication for one of the most beloved brands in the world. Rutherford is the Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer, for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, the nation’s largest airline in terms of domestic Customer boardings. She oversees media relations, corporate communications, special event planning, crisis communications, emergency response and business continuity planning, community outreach, social business, multimedia and visual communication, culture and employee engagement and change leadership. Prior to joining Southwest Airlines in 1992, she was a journalist in the Dallas area, including working for the Dallas Times Herald, and she began her career with Newsweek magazine in New York.
Linda has a passion for education. She has recently begun sharing her experience with today’s youth by serving as an adjunct instructor for undergraduate courses at universities throughout the country. Regarded as an expert in her field, she also authored a chapter in Mastering Business for Strategic Communicators (released December 2017) and was asked to write the Foreword for Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators (coming in 2020).
Linda believes in giving back to the community and does so through her participation in professional organizations and through service on advisory boards. She has dedicated her time to countless organizations including: The Make-A-Wish Foundation (current board member); Arthur W. Page Society (current Trustee and member of… Read More
Co-founder Historic, Author Culture Built My Brand
Co-author of Culture Built My Brand and president and managing partner at Historic, Mark has over 20 years of marketing, fundraising, and communications experience in the nonprofit sector. His focus on human-centered design helps nonprofits find innovative ways to solve their most significant problems and take advantage of their biggest opportunities.
