Columbia Business School’s Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics recently awarded Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, the 2024 Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics in honor of his values-based leadership approach.

The Botwinick Prize was established in 1989 by Benjamin ’26 and Bessie Botwinick as a way to celebrate business leaders who exemplify the highest standard of professional and ethical conduct and decision-making across an array of industries.

The podcast (link above) is a recording of Bastian's conversation with Modupe Akinola, the Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of Business and Bernstein Faculty Director at CBS.

During the discussion, Bastian credited Delta’s success to the company’s hands-on leadership style that gives employees insight into the company’s strategy from the top down. Notably, Bastian keeps his email address public and unchanged, inviting both employees and customers to reach out with concerns.

“I want to know what’s going on. I want our people, I want our customers. I want our community to be able to reach me,” Bastian said. “Culture then starts to revolve around that knowledge and that sense of accessibility and visibility from the top down,” he added.

Listen to the podcast using the link above, or read more about the event.

You can watch a full video of the event here:

 

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