As the eldest of 9 siblings, Delta CEO Ed Bastian was pushed into leadership very, very early. So maybe not not surprising, the mentor who had the biggest impact on him was his first boss — his mom. "I had a special relationship with her, and she gave me the innate confidence that I could go do stuff," he told me, in this week's This is Quick edition of #ThisisWorking. "I never was on an airplane, decided to come down to the big city to work, and I never feared that I couldn't do it. I just felt like I had her support and the confidence internally. And what it told me was that you always, in life, have people around you that believe in you more than you believe in yourself." That kind of belief is the sign of a "true mentor." We covered lots of other ground in this lighting round, including Ed's biggest career ah-ha moment (and how he only realized it by quitting Delta), how he stays productive, and the tiny human who can derail that productivity... Listen to the full episode here: 🎧 Apple: https://lnkd.in/eSWVwTz6 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/e5jdsdF2
He makes a great point, "...you always in life have to have people around you that believe in you more than you believe in yourself." So many, such as I, have had to get over years (decades even) of conditioning to start believing in our true potential. But I can say with conviction that it does get better once we take the first step, and that's by finding a mentor. I have found a mentor in close friends, colleagues, former bosses, and even former reportees. It can be anyone as long as they empower you to believe in your true worth.
I often wonder how different my career would have been with a mentor.
Yep, and something I would like to add as both a professional and a parent: Being the wind beneath someone's wings (whether they are related to you or not) is one of the best feelings ever!
"You always have to have people around you more than you believe in yourself." Love that. This is why we have to curate the people around us to include those who support us and encourage us to lean forward to new challenges. Daniel Roth
Sounds like an incredible journey shaped by meaningful mentorship. 🌟
Great episode and this part made me smile - it is very relatable.
Love this perspective! I love mentors who call things out in me that I didn’t see in myself.
Very hard to find leaders like what he’s talking about
Vice President of Software Engineering | S&P Global | MBA
1moIt's fascinating to see how early life experiences shape leadership qualities. The notion that others often see our potential more clearly than we do ourselves is a powerful reminder to seek and value external perspectives. Looking forward to diving into the full episode to uncover more of these insights!