UCLA Anderson School of Management Honors Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian

The annual John Wooden Global Leadership Award recognizes exceptional business leaders who exemplify Coach Wooden’s values

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — UCLA Anderson School of Management on Tuesday honored Ed Bastian, chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines, with the John Wooden Global Leadership Award. The award was presented at a gala dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.

First presented in 2008, the award is named for legendary UCLA basketball coach, author and leadership expert John Wooden (1910–2010). It is given each year to an exceptional business leader whose leadership style and service to the community reflect the high standards of performance, integrity and ethical values for which Wooden was known. It was last awarded to Brian Cornell (B.A. ’81, CERT ’91), board chairman and chief executive officer of Target.

Bastian was chosen as the 2023 Wooden Award recipient in recognition of his visionary leadership of the nation’s oldest continuously operating airline. In his many leadership roles at Delta over the past 25 years, Bastian has helped steer the company through the most challenging periods of its history, building confidence and community among its 100,000 employees. During his tenure as CEO, Delta has become the world’s most awarded airline.

“Tonight is a celebration of values-driven, transformative leaders: the legendary Coach John Wooden, our four outstanding 2023 Wooden fellows and our extraordinary honoree, Ed Bastian,” said UCLA Anderson Dean Tony Bernardo as he opened the evening’s festivities, alongside Caroline W. Nahas (B.A. ’70), Korn Ferry senior advisor and chair of the UCLA Anderson Board of Advisors. Bernardo extended a special welcome to Bastian’s colleagues: “There are 100,000 of them around the world but there are three tables of them here tonight — the Delta family.”

“This is my favorite event,” said Nahas. “What an incredible gathering of business and community leaders from near and far. When we launched the John Wooden Global Leadership Awards 15 years ago, we were fortunate to have Coach with us on the stage. He was 98 years old and he captivated the audience not only with his presence but with his quips and sense of humor. As he did on and off the basketball court throughout his life, he inspired everyone to become the very best that they were capable of being.”

In bringing Bastian to the stage to be recognized, Bernardo added that the Delta leader’s many achievements and awards told just part of the story of his distinguished career.

“During his tenure, Ed has guided Delta’s employees through some of the most intensely challenging periods of the company’s history, including 9/11, bankruptcy and the COVID-19 pandemic. Tonight, we honor him not only for all he has done as a leader, but how he has done it. Throughout, he has put people first — setting up profit sharing, swearing off job cuts or furloughs, championing equality and safeguarding employee and customer health and well-being,” Bernardo said. “Like Coach, Ed is team-centered and purpose-driven. He is a true champion of Delta’s shared values of honesty, integrity, respect, perseverance and servant leadership.”

At Tuesday’s banquet, 2021 Wooden Award recipient Kenneth C. Frazier engaged Bastian in an on-stage conversation about leadership and the Wooden legacy. Frazier is chairman of health assurance initiatives at General Catalyst and former CEO and executive chairman of Merck & Co. He has described Bastian as “a true exemplar of what it means to be a visionary, resilient, purpose-driven leader.”

Frazier asked Bastian to list his core leadership values. “Integrity, accountability, resilience, care — caring for other people, our customers — and servant leadership, putting yourself at the bottom of the pyramid,” said Bastian. He described values as “the fabric that holds companies together, through good times and challenging times.”

Frazier paid tribute to Bastian by calling him “an active and vocal champion” of diversity, equity and inclusion. Bastian explained his commitment to inclusivity and giving employees incentives as well as a sense of security. “If you can’t bring your best self to work, you can’t bring your best service to work. If you have a platform of winning together, people will come with you.”

In accepting the John Wooden Global Leadership Award, Bastian said, “I am humbled, and I’m honored to accept something in Coach Wooden’s name.” He recounted how proud his father was when Wooden’s UCLA team took on St. Bonaventure — the alma mater of both Bastians — in a basketball game. Bastian recalled that Wooden’s Bruins won the game and that his father considered it an honor to merely compete with the great coach’s team.

In closing, Bastian quoted one of Coach Wooden’s favorite maxims.

“The quip of his I love the most was one of the things I believe he said near the end of his life,” said Bastian. “Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts. It’s courage that inspired our team to get through the many challenges we face, and it’s courage that will keep us climbing to new heights.

“I’m deeply, deeply touched and honored to be receiving the John Wooden Global Leadership Award,” Bastian concluded.

A tribute to John Wooden began the program and featured the remarks of former NBA point guard Earl Watson (B.A. ’19), who earned first team all-conference during his decorated UCLA basketball career. Watson, a longtime devotee of Coach Wooden’s leadership philosophy, said that in his many conversations with Coach Wooden, his mentor stressed four essential qualities: love, imagination, skill and will.

Regarding imagination, an often-overlooked quality of John Wooden’s, Watson said, “Coach would tell me, ‘Earl, I would tell my team that they were the most prepared, the most in shape, we’re the most everything. I had no idea if we really were, but they believed it.’ And in that moment, I understood that Coach Wooden knew that belief was stronger than reality. If you build a team that believes, regardless of any circumstances you have to overcome, that belief will take you farther.”

Following Watson’s remarks, Coach Wooden’s grandson Greg Wooden spoke on behalf of his family. The younger Wooden recalled how his grandfather once received a standing ovation from a roomful of Anderson students, a moment that influenced his decision to endorse a leadership award honoring Coach’s legacy.

“What we realized that day in that auditorium, is that my Papa’s lessons on leadership transcended the basketball court, and even the athletic arena,” Greg Wooden said. “Integrity, honesty, passion and teamwork were equally relevant in the world of management. We also realized that recognizing business leaders who emphasized character-based leadership was very important.”

About Ed Bastian

As CEO of Delta Air Lines, Ed Bastian leads 100,000 global professionals who are building the world’s premier international airline. A 25-year Delta veteran, Bastian has been a critical leader in Delta’s long-term strategy and champion of putting Delta’s shared values of honesty, integrity, respect, perseverance and servant leadership at the core of every decision.

Since being named Delta’s CEO in May 2016, Bastian has expanded Delta’s leading position as the world’s most reliable airline while growing its global footprint and enhancing the customer experience in the air and on the ground. During his tenure as CEO, Delta has become the world’s most awarded airline, having been named the Wall Street Journal’s top U.S. airline; the top-ranking airline in Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies; the most on-time global airline by FlightGlobal; the Platinum Award recipient for operational excellence by Cirium; among TIME100’s Most Influential Companies; a Glassdoor Best Place to Work; and more.

In 2018, Fortune magazine named Bastian among “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” and in 2019, he was elected to the membership of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2021, amid a global pandemic, he was recognized for his executive leadership with FlightGlobal’s 2021 Airline Strategy Award and named among the Top 10 CEOs of 2021 in Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards as a leader who excelled at supporting their people. Most recently, Bastian was honored by his peer CEOs and named Chief Executive magazine’s 2023 Chief Executive of the Year.

Bastian’s values-based leadership propelled the airline to become the industry leader and a trusted global brand, guided by empathy, humanity and devotion to service, which has served Delta well in good times and bad. When asked to sum up his job in five words, Bastian’s response is: “Taking care of our people.” The answer reflects his leadership philosophy, which is based on the “virtuous circle”: If you take care of your people, they take care of your customers, whose business and loyalty allow you to reward your investors.

Bastian joined Delta in 1998 as VP of finance and controller. He was named chief financial officer in 2005, and in 2007 he was appointed to serve as Delta’s president. Before joining Delta, he held senior finance positions at Frito-Lay International and Pepsi-Cola International. He started his career with Price Waterhouse, where he became an audit partner in its New York practice.

Bastian grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

History of the Award

Previous John Wooden Global Leadership honorees include: Brian Cornell, board chairman and chief executive officer, Target; Kenneth C. Frazier, executive chairman of the board and former CEO, Merck; Mellody Hobson, co-CEO and president, Ariel Investments; Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO, Netflix; W. James (Jim) McNerney Jr., retired chairman, president and CEO, The Boeing Company; Ursula Burns, former chairman and CEO, Xerox; Paul E. Jacobs, former executive chairman, Qualcomm; Robert Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company; Indra Nooyi, former CEO, PepsiCo; Peter Ueberroth, managing director, Contrarian Group, and president , Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee; Frederick Smith, president and CEO, FedEx; Kenneth Chenault, former chairman and CEO, American Express Company; and Howard Schultz, former chairman and CEO, Starbucks.

Net proceeds from the annual event support fellowships for UCLA Anderson students who embody Coach Wooden’s leadership ideals and commitment to improving the lives of others. Each of the four 2023 John Wooden Global Leadership Fellows will receive a $35,000 fellowship:

Andy Cofino (FEMBA ’25), Assistant Vice President of Diversity, Belonging and Well-Being, Princeton University
Ryan Hayes (EMBA ’24), Captain, U.S. Navy
Tiffany Lin (FEMBA ’24), Senior Solution Engineer, Enterprise Communications and Media, Salesforce
Juhie Rathor (FTMBA ’24), President, Anderson Student Association

About the John Wooden Global Leadership Award

As the most successful coach in U.S. men’s college basketball history, John Wooden left a legacy of leadership that transcends athletics and spans generations. As a coach, prolific author and inspiring speaker, he dedicated his life to motivating people to achieve their highest potential. Wooden instilled in others a sense of pride, a commitment to ethics and a respect for teamwork. UCLA Anderson extends these fundamental principles and Wooden’s famous Pyramid of Success into the classroom through the Wooden Global Leadership Program. Learn more about the John Wooden Global Leadership Award, fellowships and UCLA Anderson School of Management: https://bit.ly/2DFMAU4

About UCLA Anderson School of Management

UCLA Anderson School of Management is a world-renowned learning and research institution. As part of the nation’s No. 1 public university, its mission is to advance management thinking and prepare transformative leaders to make positive business and societal impact. Located in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s most diverse and dynamic cities and the creative capital of the world, UCLA Anderson places more MBAs on the West Coast than any other business school, and its graduates also bring an innovative and inclusive West Coast sensibility to leading organizations across the U.S. and the world. Each year, UCLA Anderson’s MBA, Fully Employed MBA, Executive MBA, UCLA-NUS Executive MBA, Master of Financial Engineering, Master of Science in Business Analytics and doctoral programs educate more than 2,000 students, while the Executive Education program trains an additional 1,800 professionals. This next generation of transformative leaders will help shape the future of both business and society.

anderson.ucla.edu