Taking the helm as CIO is a major transition for any IT leader, but Lauren Woods’ experience at Southwest Airlines stands apart. Two months before she was officially named CIO in February 2023, Southwest experienced one of the largest operational disruptions in aviation history, right in the middle of the busy holiday travel season, with outdated software systems at the center of the meltdown. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan later attributed an imbalance in the company’s growth mindset and a lack of investment in digital transformation as central causes of the travel disruptions the airlines incurred…