DAVE ALEXANDER CENTER FOR SOCIAL CAPITAL

When Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, gave the Emory University Commencement Address, he had an important message to the graduates: Put the people who matter to you first. “Our management philosophy at Delta is relatively simple — it’s focused on service to our people,” he said. “Take care of your people first — who, in turn, take care of your customers who reward you with their loyalty and investment in your product.” He also implored listeners to invest their time and energy in doing things the right way, not the easy way. “I’ve had many important decisions to make over the course of my career, and I must admit, taking a shortcut or pushing the easy button can sometimes be quite tempting,” he says. “But they never yield an enduring result or an effective solution.” Read more about why Ed is such a powerful people-centric leader in Top 66 People-Centric Leaders of 2025 Prove Taking Care of People Is Taking Care of Business.