C A S E S T U D Y / J E T B L U E / PA G E 1

JetBlue Bridges Leadership Gap with

Comprehensive D evelopm ent Program
for Cre wleaders
MBTI Instrument Used as a Program Foundation

CASE STUDY AT A GLANCE

BUSINESS OVERVIEW:
JetBlue w as founded on the belief that there had
to be a better w ay of doing businessa better w ay
to approach air travel. They w ere right. JetBlue
launched in 2000 and today enjoys the distinction of
being nam ed B est Dom estic Airline by Cond Nast
Traveler for five years in a ro w.

CHALLENGE:
JetBlues rapid gro w th created a leadership gap.
They ne eded a program to help train and develop
leaders w ho had be en hired or promoted even
though they had little supervisory experience.

SOLUTION:
JetBlue created a developm ent program for all
levels of cre wleaders. The program w as designed
to help leaders becom e more effective w hile
maintaining the spirit of the small, service-driven
company that JetBlue had becom e kno w n for.
As one of the program foundations, JetBlue
imple m ented the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
instrum ent.

RESULTS:
The leadership program has be en fully integrated
into JetBlues culture, and cre wleaders no w
understand ho w their behavior affects that culture.
Culture is extre m ely important to JetBlue because it
is w hat drives the custom er experience.

ounded in 2000, JetBlue Airw ays Corporation carved

out a unique niche within the airline industry based
on its promise to bring humanity back to air travel.
The company sought to redefine the airlinecustom er
relationship by offering a compelling mix of value, service, comfort, and style. At a tim e w hen the industry
w as experiencing a do w nturnand most airlines w ere
looking for w ays to reduce costs by paring do w n their
servicesJetBlue made its mark by offering ne w perks,
including leather seats for all custom ers and personal
televisions sho wing DIRE CTV. The model w orked, and
JetBlue began a significant gro w th phase that led to rapid
expansion of its w orkforce.
But in a fiercely competitive and reactive environm ent,
even companies on the fast track to success can experience
proble ms. In 2002, JetBlue realized its massive gro w th
w as fueling a leadership gap within the organization,
as many e mploye es (called cre w m e mbers) with little
supervisory experience w ere being hired or promoted.
JetBlues annual cre w m e mber survey, the Speak Up
Survey, revealed that both managers and e mploye es felt
their leaders ne eded better tools and training to help the m
becom e more effective.
BRIDGING THE GAP
To bridge the leadership gap, C E O David N e ele man and
president Dave Barger envisioned a ne w leadership
developm ent program. With a vie w to w ard learning as
a lifelong process, they proposed a corporate culture
initiative e mbracing developm ent for cre wleaders at all
levels: supervisors, managers, directors, and VPs. As
part of this initiative, JetBlue used the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator (M BTI) assessm ent beginning in 2006.
Published by CPP, Inc., this research-validated tool is the
worlds leading personality assessm ent. It is used to help
increase understanding and appreciation of individual
differences, improve interpersonal com munication and
team w ork, reduce w orkplace conflict, and develop
leadership.
The initiatives goals w ere sum m ed up in an executive
memo to cre w members: As in the past, w e will continue to
rely on our JetBlue leaders to guide our cre w m e mbers as
w e delight our customers and pave ne w roads in air travel. It
is leadership that will enable us to stay small as w e gro w,
to continue the unique and special JetBlue experience
that distinguishes us from any other company (Bluenote,
2004).

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C R E AT I N G T H E P R O G R A M
O nce the ne ed for leadership developm ent had be en
identified, David and Dave kne w theyd have to provide
a vision for their e mploye es if they w anted to maintain
the spirit of a small, service-driven company offering a
unique custom er experience. This vision encompassed five
leadership principles:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Treat your people right.

Do the right thing.
Com municate with your team.
Encourage initiative and innovation.
Inspire greatness in others.

David and Dave tasked JetBlues Learning and D evelopm ent

(L&D) group with creating an intensive training program
incorporating these principles that w ould be expected for
anyone in a leadership role. (The L&D group is responsible
for providing cre w m e mbers and cre wleaders with avenues
for the m to learn and enhance care er skills and organizational
culture.) In response, using feedback from the 2002 Speak Up
Survey, L&D created a curriculum of workforce development
courses called the Principles of Leadership (POL) series.
The P O L series consists of an introductory course called
P O L Foundations, w hich debuted in Nove mber 2002; a
more hands-on, imple m entation-oriented course called
Principles of Leadership in Action (introduced in F ebruary
2004), w hich leverages the Myers-Briggs assessm ent; and
a number of follo w-up lectures, open to all P O L graduates,
including a lecture series on leadership that w as introduced
in January 2005.
THE FIRST STEP: PRINCIPLES OF
L E A D E R S H I P F O U N D AT I O N
In the thre e-day P O L Foundations course, the cre wleaders
are introduced to ho w JetBlue envisions leadershipboth
as a concept and in practice. They explore the five leadership principles, as w ell as such critical leadership skills
as self-a w areness, relationship building, interpersonal
com munication, performance manage m ent, and gaining
com mitm ent. Additionally, cre wleaders begin to learn
ho w their behavior affects both corporate culture and
performance.
P O L Foundations also helps cre wleaders develop som e of
the basic supervisory skills theyll ne ed. O n the first day
senior officers conduct sessions, w alking through each of
the principles of leadership and ho w the senior leaders apply
those principles. Days 2 and 3 introduce more leadership
skills using a basic personality assessm ent focusing on
individual com munication and performance manage m ent.
Cre wleaders participate in skill-building exercises under a
progressive guidance model that helps the m learn ho w
to handle proble m behaviors and develop action plans.
Follo wing the exercises, they receive fe edback from one
another and discuss strategies they can use to motivate
cre w m e mbers. The program is designed to include teach
backs w here ne w leaders teach the material they have just
learned to help the m experience it as a ne w practice.

B ecause JetBlue believes in leaders teaching leaders, David

and Dave, along with other senior executives, take the tim e
to participate in the course and personally pass along their
principles and expectations to cre wleaders. David and Dave
lead a group of about 25 to 30 cre wleaders. David talks about
w hy they are here, w hy being a good leader is important;
Dave w alks through inspire greatness in others and leads
a panel discussion, allo wing ne w cre wleaders to ask any
question of current senior executives about leadership at
JetBlue. O verall, executives spend 60 to 90 minutes with
participants, providing insights and ans w ering questions.

One of the fundamental aspects

of the POL in Action is introspection.
The course concentrates on
developing self-reflection, selfunderstanding, and recognition
and understanding of others
differences. To facilitate participants
learning, JetBlue L&D selected the
MBTI personality inventory.
THE NEXT STEP: POL IN ACTION
After completing P O L Foundations, cre wleaders take the
intensive thre e-day P O L in Action course, w hich focuses
on skill building. This second course, modeled after the
Leadership D evelopm ent Program at the C enter for Creative
Leadership, is personalized to each participant. It moves
beyond the basics of leadership to build effective and
actionable skills that will make participants better leaders.
The course teaches cre wleaders ho w to build relationships
with their teams in order to improve performance.
P O L in Action is taught by skilled facilitators from the
L&D group and also involves feedback coaches. Cre wleaders
receive in-depth attention and support, including administration
of the Myers-Briggs assessment and a 360-degree feedback
assessment, videotaped activities with group feedback, and
one-on-one coaching sessions. At the conclusion of the course,
they create a detailed action plan to support their ongoing
development and behavioral change.
T H E M B T I A S S E S S M E N T: T H E
F O U N D AT I O N O F P O L I N A C T I O N
One of the fundamental aspects of POL in Action is introspection.
The course concentrates on developing self-reflection, selfunderstanding, and recognition and understanding of others
differences, and then applying these skills to actions and
communications. To facilitate participants learning, JetBlue
L&D selected the M BTI personality inventory. Working
with a qualified professional, JetBlue cre wleaders take the

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multiple-choice questionnaire to identify their preferences

on four dichotomies ExtraversionIntroversion, Sensing
Intuition, ThinkingFeeling, and JudgingPerceiving. With this
knowledge, they are able to determine which of 16 possible
personality types best describes them.
In addition to learning their o w n type, JetBlue cre wleaders
learn about type theory and ho w people with various
types perceive and interact with the w orld at large.
Participants typically share their M BTI types voluntarily so
the group can benefit from this collaborative experience
and understanding. Cre wleaders can then give each
other fe edback and talk about ho w their type played out
during a given exercise. The class is also able to talk about
group dynamics based on w hat types are represented in
the group. The insight gained through use of the M BTI
assessm ent helps improve interpersonal com munications,
team w ork, and general self-kno wledge.
To help cre wleaders appreciate the effects of personality
differences and to recognize the resources each team
member brings to the table, the M BTI personality assessment
is used with the 360-degre e fe edback assessm ent and a
personal biography. At the end of the thre e days, a coaching
session is conducted, and the M BTI tool is instrum ental in
providing key learnings JetBlue cre wleaders can take a w ay
and apply in their w ork environm ent.
The combination of the M BTI assessment and communicationoriented activities helps JetBlue L&D open a dialogue to
confront potential conflict bet w e en cre wleaders and their
co w orkers, address self-manage m ent issues that might arise,
alleviate w orklife balance issues, and help cre wleaders
recognize w hen theyre stressed.
CONCLUSIONTHE POWER OF PEOPLE
In a competitive environm ent with a ramped-up de mand
for leadership talent, David N e ele man and Dave Barger
responded to an internal ne ed for leadership developm ent
and initiated positive change. Their goal for the Principles
of Leadership series is to create a better leader for cre wm e mbers, w hich will result in a superior custom er
experience.
In early 2004, an impact study w as conducted that involved
small focus groups of graduates of the P O L series. In
addition, the company surveyed cre wleaders, asking the m
about the trainings impact, ho w they had applied the
various skills and concepts they acquired, and ho w they
vie w ed the overall value of the P O L series to the companys
success.
W hat the study and survey overw helmingly sho w ed is
that the P O L series sets an expectation that all leaders at
JetBlue play an integral part in the companys success. Says
David N e ele man to JetBlue leaders, Youre a leader. W ere
asking you to inspire greatness in others because thats
w hat leaders do.

The study and survey also revealed that participation in the

P O L series and the production of action plans positively
supported the ongoing developm ent of the companys
current and future leaders. The P O L series has be en
integrated into JetBlues culture, and leaders no w better
understand ho w their behavior affects the culture.
JetBlues annual Speak Up Survey asks cre w m e mbers
ho w they fe el about JetBlue, w hat its like to w ork at
the company, and w hat ne eds to be improved. In a 2004
intervie w for Fast Company, David N e ele man said, W hen
you start out building a ne w airline, a leadership program
is probably the last thing on your list. There are so many
other things to do first. M aybe w e w ould have be en better
to realize w e ne eded it earlier, but w e had a m echanism in
place to identify the ne ed. And the program is w orking so
far. Even though only 20 percent of the company had be en
through Principles of Leadership w hen w e did last years
[Speak Up] survey, every single category w ent up.
Four years after the company initiated the P O L series,
JetBlue has be en nam ed B est Dom estic Airline thre e years
in a ro w by Cond Nast Travelers Readers Choice A w ards.
In 2007, JetBlues leadership developm ent will be expanded
to include more of an educational continuum for the
different leadership levelssupervisor, manager, director,
and VPand focus on those core skill sets people at each
level ne ed to help the m go from one stage to the next.
In their book Destination Profit (2006), Scott Ca w ood
and Rita V. Bailey took a look at the subject of leadership
developm ent as it relates to corporate profitability in the
airline industry. JetBlue w as one of the t w o airlines profiled
in their study. They had this to say about the airline: In
2006, there is no doubt that JetBlue will face a tough year.
Rising fuel costs, higher-than-expected operating costs,
and rapid expansion plans present more challenges for the
airline. W e believe, ho w ever, that JetBlue is positioned
as best it can to w ork through these issues because it
realizes the po w er of people. Engaged e mploye es will lead
their organizations to profitability. W e have studied many
successful organizations that have done it: They all started
with the mind-set that investing in people yields high
returns.
According to N e ele man, You have to re main focused on
your people. Thats the key to great service. I w ant our
cre w m e mbers to fe el that theyre important and that w ere
on a mission together, to put humanity back in air travel.
Thats w here a strong culture com es in. Hopefully, it makes
the m fe el this is the best job theyve ever had. If they like
coming to w ork, that gets passed on to the custom er. It all
starts with hiring, though. W ere highly selective. W e w ant
cre w m e mbers w ho like people, not just certain people.
Several quotes from David N e elman w ere pulled from a 2004 article that ran in
Fast Company. The article can be found at w w w.fastcompany.com.

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About CPP, Inc.

Since its founding in 1956, CPP, Inc., has be en a leading
publisher and provider of innovative products and services
for individual and organizational developm ent. CPP has
be en supplying reliable training solutions to businesses of
all sizes, including the Fortune 500, for more than 50 years.
The companys hundreds of unique offerings have be en
used by millions of individuals in more than 100 countries,
in more than 20 languages, to help people and organizations
gro w and develop by improving performance and increasing
understanding. A mong CPPs w orld-reno w ned brands and
services are CPP Professional Services; the M yers-Briggs
Type Indicator (M BTI), Strong Interest Inventory, ThomasKilmann Conflict M ode Instrum ent (TKI), FIR O-B , CPI 260,
and California Psychological Inventory (CPI) assessm ents;
and Davies-Black Publishing.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Myers-Briggs, and MBTI are registered trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator Trust. Strong Interest Inventory, FIRO-B, CPI 260, the CPP logo, and Davies-Black are registered
trademarks and California Psychological Inventory and CPI are trademarks of CPP, Inc.

For more information on CPP, Inc., and the Myers-Briggs Type

Indicator, please visit w w w.cpp.com.