“The worst advice I ever received was [from] a former mentor who told me, when I became CEO, I needed to create a unique identity … I was too accessible,” Bastian said. “He told me I’ll never have a moment of peace, because I was too public.”
Bastian listened, but chose not to follow the recommendation: “I thanked him for that, and I did not do that.”
Now, Bastian says, his inbox is flooded with thousands of emails per day, and he often spends flights reading through customer feedback. He likens himself to a “point guard” directing traffic to resolve issues.
“I only have one email, only have one phone, and as a result of that, I’m always in touch with our people, our customers, our community,” he said. However, customers often don’t believe they’re actually communicating with the real Bastian himself.
“They’ll think I’m some kind of fancy bot, and they’ll respond, ‘Wow, you’ve got a great agentic device there,’” he joked. “I say, ‘No, it’s me. I’m bored on a Saturday afternoon, just clearing out my inbox.’”
Even in person, Delta passengers are often surprised to see the chief executive seated in economy, eagerly awaiting Biscoff cookies and a Coke Zero from the snack cart.
“Many times when I travel, I’m sitting in coach,” Bastian said. “It’s always interesting because customers come back and say, ‘Why are you back here?’ And I say, ‘That’s about what my ticket could afford,’ and [I’m] usually next to the restroom.” To be sure, Bastian’s current compensation package is about $27 million, but airline executives do sometimes have to travel coach when premium seats are sold out.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian shared his travel habits with the FortuneGlobalForum, including his favorite in-flight snack. #Delta #DeltaAirLines #Fortune #travel #traveltok #aviation #CokeZero #aviationTok #airplane
“In our business, everyone focuses on the airline, the aircraft, the technology, the airports, the amazing destinations we get to,” he said. “But it’s the staff that bring it to life.”
“If your people don’t feel that love and respect and care, they’re never going to be able to give you the service that you expect,” Bastian said.
“We all want to be liked; we all want to be loved,” he said. “But leadership involves also making hard choices, hard decisions with a lot of respect and confidence.”
But of all the business advice he’s received over the years, Bastian says the most impactful wisdom came from his late mother: “She told us, growing up, ‘You’ve got two ears and one mouth, use them accordingly.’”
He explained that in business, leaders often focus on sending messages rather than listening: “We don’t take enough time to learn, to listen, to be able to make sure we understand each other.”
For Bastian, it’s a vital skill to form better relationships and fuel personal and professional growth.
“You learn a lot more,” he said. “That curiosity really is one of the hallmarks, I believe, of my career.”
