The Colleen Barrett Way: How Servant Leadership Catapulted a Career and Created an Industry Icon with Monica Van Slate, The Colleen Barrett Institute, Southwest Airlines

Colleen Barrett is the iconic Executive Assistant of Southwest Airlines who rose to President & COO in her impressive five-decade journey at the airline, showcasing the transformative influence and enormous impact an Administrative Professional can wield. Herb Kelleher, the airline's Founder, recognized Colleen's strategic value early on, paving the way for her ascent and highlighting her role as a trailblazing leader. Colleen Barrett's unique leadership style at Southwest was characterized by a remarkable blend of approachability, empathy, and dedication. As a servant leader, she prioritized the well-being of her employees and encouraged an open and inclusive environment. Her hands-on approach, often seen walking the halls and engaging with staff, fostered a sense of camaraderie and trust. Colleen's emphasis on leading by example and treating everyone with respect not only steered Southwest Airlines through challenging times but also solidified its reputation for exceptional customer service, making her a respected and revered figure in the aviation industry and global business community. The Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence, the Admin Awards' most prestigious award in its lineup of award categories exemplifies the spirit of Colleen Barrett and serves as a living example for Administrative Professionals everywhere of the power of servant leadership in catapulting a career, organization and an entire industry.

The Colleen Barrett Institute, established at Southwest Airlines and lead by Monica Van Slate, embodies Colleen's legacy by focusing on leadership development, employee empowerment, and fostering a positive workplace environment. Monica’s professional and personal relationship with Colleen spans her 35 years at the airline during which time Monica experienced Colleen’s unique leadership style up close. During this lecture, Monica will share heart-warming and courageous stories of Colleen’s inspiring, golden-rule leadership philosophy that was full of love - and at times tough love in bringing out the very best in her coworkers and leadership teams. Monica says, “Colleen was for everyday people doing extraordinary things” and in this lecture, attendees will feel like they too are at her desk, receiving an MBA in leadership while having a warm cup of coffee while talking to your best friend.

During this Lecture you will learn: 

• The four words that lead to a life beyond her wildest expectations
• How Colleen’s humble beginnings from a small town in Vermont, raised by a single Mother didn’t stop her from believing she could do anything, and how one mantra has sustained her spirit for risk taking 
• How Colleen’s passion for serving others and her servant leadership style not only transformed a company but an entire industry
• Examples of how Colleen used redirection and tough love to handle inappropriate behavior or performance issues
• How 85% of her time was spent on this one mission which she believes was the secret to Southwest’s success 
• How Colleen and Herb’s co-leadership of the enterprise, and extremely rare phenomenon, were enabled by shared values and opposing gifts
• Colleen’s one realization after she was expectedly thrown in front of a television camera by Herb early on in her career that has made all the difference in her public speaking confidence