Tuesday, February 27, 2024
The John Wooden Global Leadership Award was bestowed upon Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, by the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The prestigious ceremony took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.At the gala dinner, Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman of health assurance initiatives at General Catalyst and the recipient of the award in 2021, joined UCLA Anderson Dean Tony Bernardo in presenting the 2024 John Wooden Global Leadership Award to Ed Bastian.
Named after the renowned UCLA basketball coach and leadership expert John Wooden, the award has been recognizing outstanding business leaders since its inception in 2008. It seeks to honor individuals whose leadership qualities and commitment to the community embody the exemplary standards of performance, integrity, and ethical values epitomized by Wooden. The most recent recipient before Bastian was Brian Cornell, the chairman and CEO of Target.
Ed Bastian was selected as the 2023 recipient of the Wooden Award in acknowledgment of his visionary leadership of Delta Air Lines, the nation’s oldest continuously operating airline. Throughout his quarter-century tenure at Delta, Bastian has played pivotal roles in navigating the company through its most challenging times, fostering confidence and a sense of community among its vast workforce of 100,000 employees. Under his stewardship as CEO, Delta has earned the distinction of being 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.”
When Bastian was brought to the stage for recognition by Bernardo, it was noted that while the Delta leader’s numerous accomplishments and accolades were impressive, they only scratched the surface of his illustrious 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.”
During Tuesday’s banquet, Kenneth C. Frazier, the recipient of the 2021 Wooden Award, led an on-stage discussion with Bastian about leadership and the enduring legacy of Wooden. Frazier, currently serving as chairman of health assurance initiatives at General Catalyst, previously held roles as CEO and executive chairman at 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 reminisced about his father’s pride when Wooden’s UCLA team faced off against St. Bonaventure, the shared alma mater of the Bastians, in a basketball match. Bastian remembered how Wooden’s Bruins emerged victorious, and his father regarded it as a privilege just to compete against the esteemed coach’s team.
In conclusion, Bastian shared one of Coach Wooden’s beloved sayings.
“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.
The program commenced with a tribute to John Wooden, highlighted by the words of Earl Watson (B.A. ’19), a former NBA point guard renowned for his exceptional UCLA basketball career, where he earned first-team all-conference honors. Watson, a devoted follower of Coach Wooden’s leadership principles, shared that in his numerous discussions with the coach, Wooden emphasized four fundamental traits: 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.”
After Watson’s speech, Greg Wooden, the grandson of Coach Wooden, addressed the audience on behalf of his family. He reminisced about a significant moment when his grandfather received a standing ovation from a group of Anderson students, which played a pivotal role in his choice to support a leadership award dedicated to 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.”
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
