Ed Bastian

Growing up as the oldest of nine children whose parents ran a dental practice out of their home in New York, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sought refuge on basketball courts and baseball diamonds, playing “just about every sport there is involving a ball.” But no childhood bathroom squabble or station wagon road trip could prepare him for the challenge of leading a world-class company through years of challenge to become the most profitable competitor in its industry.

Ed joined Delta in 1998 as Vice President of Finance. Within three years, after promotion to Senior Vice President, a man who didn’t fly in an airplane until the age of 25 was called upon to help lead Delta through the industry-wide adjustments that followed 9/11 and the ensuing economic downturn.

“The story of Delta Air Lines is the story of redemption,” Ed said. Under Ed’s leadership, Delta faced down U.S. Air’s attempt to take over the airlines when it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and rebuilt the company into the world’s most profitable airline, only to watch 95 percent of their hard-won revenue disappear in the first 30 days of the COVID pandemic. A lesser leader might have thrown in the towel, but Ed doubled down on Delta’s mission of “taking care of each other and our customers” and, once again, is guiding Delta back to cruising altitude as the industry standard.

Ed says that if you ask him what drives his passion and purpose at Delta, the answer would be having gotten a second chance and making it count. “Redemption is a powerful story,” admitted Ed. “I feel inspired to lead the largest company in the state of Georgia, the biggest employer in Atlanta” …his eyes teared up. “A company I love that needs leadership now more than ever.”

Listeners will learn the

You will learn:

• 3:30 How to influence when you do not have authority.
• 7:00 New York Yankees or Atlanta Braves?
• 9:00 Athletics role in Ed’s childhood and the only sport he never tried.
• 11:00 Ed’s answer to young leaders asking for guidance.
• 13:30 The “dare” that led Ed to run his first marathon at the tender age of 58.
• 15:30 How to increase your motivation.
• 17:00 How Rally Foundation Kid Grace changed Ed’s life.
• 23:00 How Delta emerged after losing 95% of revenue in 30 days.
• 27:30 The origin of Delta’s tagline “keep climbing.”
• 36:30 How Ed spends 50 percent of his time (hint: it’s not in his office).
• 37:00 The importance of visible leadership.
• 38:30 The $1.6 billion “thank you” Ed gave Delta employees after beating bankruptcy. 40:00 Delta’s incredible redemption story.

Resources:

• Follow Ed on LinkedIn and Instagram for his thoughts on leadership, culture, aviation and more.
• Ed Bastian featured on Forbes.com
• Ed Bastian featured on Chief Executive.