Ginger Hardage on Creating Unstoppable Cultures

The L3 Leadership Podcast with Doug Smith

Episode Summary: In this episode of the L3 Leadership podcast, Ginger discusses her career journey at Southwest, what she learned while working there, and shares her thoughts on work culture.
About Ginger: Ginger Hardage retired as Senior Vice President of Culture and Communications at Southwest Airlines after an illustrious 25 years, where she served as a member of the CEO's executive leadership team. At Southwest, Ginger led a team of 150 people responsible for building and sustaining the organization's legendary culture and communications enterprise.

In 2017, Ginger launched Unstoppable Cultures, a brand designed to help organizations create and sustain cultures of enduring greatness. Recognized by many as a foremost global authority on building and sustaining organizational culture, Ginger was responsible for the activities at Southwest that nourished the culture and the internal and external communications function.

Ginger has received numerous honors throughout her career, including induction into the Public

Relations Hall of Fame, being named as one of Texas’ Most Powerful and Influential Women and receiving the prestigious Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication from the Arthur W. Page Society. PRWeek has named her multiple times to its Top 50 Power list and 50

Most Powerful Women in Public Relations. She was named “Legendary Communicator” by Southern Methodist University, Legacy Award honoree by the Plank Center for Leadership, and selected for the James C. Bowling Executive-In-Residence Lecture Series at the University of Kentucky.

Ginger currently serves as Global Chairman of the Board for Ronald McDonald House Charities. In Dallas, she serves on the board of The Trinity Park Conservancy and was a past president of the Trinity Commons Foundation. Ginger previously served on advisory boards of Novartis in Basel, Switzerland; The Page Society; Business Civic Leadership Center, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Big Brothers and Sisters of Metropolitan Dallas; Southwest Cares; and the Council of Public Relations Firms.

Ginger earned a B.A. in advertising/public relations from Texas Tech University and was recognized as an outstanding alumna by the College of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University.

Ginger lives in Dallas, TX, and Santa Fe, NM with her husband, Kelly.
4 Key Takeaways:
1. Ginger recalls how she got her position at Southwest Airlines and grew a team centered around culture and communications.
2. She advises emerging leaders to distinguish themselves to grow within their current organization.
3. She discusses where her career has gone since departing Southwest Airlines.
4. Ginger talks about what company culture and effective communication mean to her.
Quotes From the Episode:
“Culture isn’t a faucet you can turn on and off.”
“I believe that culture, leadership, and communication go hand in hand.”
“We have to be authentically ourselves to be authentically happy.”
“Leaders cast a long shadow”.

Resources Mentioned:
Ginger’s Masterclass: The Fellowship
Connect with Ginger:
Website | Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram