Focus on trust<\/strong><\/h3>\nAsk Mattson what sits at the core of his relationship with Bastian and he doesn\u2019t hesitate to respond: trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cEd and I have known each other for about 30 years,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s trust. I know what he\u2019s going to do; he knows what I\u2019m going to do. We\u2019ve built this base of trust, and trust comes from engagement in a way that\u2019s consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mattson, who is Greek American, points to a concept from his upbringing: filotimo<\/em>. The word doesn\u2019t have a clear English translation, but in his words, it reflects honor and the idea that you\u2019re representing more than yourself.<\/p>\n\u201cYou\u2019re representing where you come from,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re representing your family. You\u2019re building a reputation. You\u2019re doing the right thing not just when people are looking, but also when they\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over time, that consistency\u2014showing up, doing what you said you\u2019d do, choosing the right path even when it\u2019s not the easiest or most expedient\u2014creates a pattern people can rely on. \u201cYou\u2019re building your reputation every day in every interaction,\u201d Mattson says.<\/p>\n
3. Communication is key<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe partnership between Wheels Up and Delta means Mattson and Bastian are in close contact but not often physically in the same room. Instead, they stay in touch through frequent check-ins.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often text each other questions or just pick up the phone to talk,\u201d Mattson says. It\u2019s not about scheduling a major meeting every time something comes up; it\u2019s about making space for ongoing real-time dialogue.<\/p>\n
He sees this conversational approach as especially important now, when many interactions are mediated by platforms and automation. Tools are helpful, he says, but they shouldn\u2019t replace genuine human exchange.<\/p>\n
In your own career, that might mean sending a quick text to clarify something instead of letting a misunderstanding simmer or scheduling a short call instead of drafting a long email.<\/p>\n
4. Rethink networking<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you dread walking into a crowded networking event, you\u2019d be like most people. \u201cIt\u2019s awkward, right?\u201d says Mattson. \u201cYou walk in, there\u2019s a bunch of people you don\u2019t know. It\u2019s crowded. It\u2019s noisy. You\u2019re not sure what people are talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
His advice: Don\u2019t lead with a pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than walking over to the corner and letting the time pass, walk up to a conversation that\u2019s happening,\u201d he suggests. \u201cListen for a while to what\u2019s being said. Figure out how to engage in that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to introduce yourself with a rehearsed elevator pitch about who you are or what you do. Start by listening, then \u201clook for the opportunity or the moment to engage in a way that\u2019s additive,\u201d Mattson says.<\/p>\n
5. Always think forward<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen Mattson first started working with Delta, he and Bastian were at similar professional stages, and their careers rose in tandem. That parallel growth has complemented their work together over time\u2014but Mattson cautions against networking only with people at your own level.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re learning something new, whether you\u2019re 20 at the beginning of your career or 60 at the end, you\u2019re learning from experiences and you\u2019re learning from people,\u201d he says. Those people can be colleagues, mentors, clients, superiors or even those junior to you.<\/p>\n
Mattson encourages seeking out rooms with more senior, experienced people you can learn from and then asking thoughtful questions. One of his favorites: What advice would you have for someone at my stage of career?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s acknowledged as courageous,\u201d he says. It signals that you\u2019re serious about growing, and it often opens the door to deeper, ongoing conversations.<\/p>\n
6. Follow through with follow-up<\/strong><\/h3>\nFinally, Mattson believes one of the most underrated relationship-building actions is simple: following up.<\/p>\n
After meeting someone, a short note (i.e., \u201cIt was great to meet you. I really enjoyed our discussion about XYZ, and I hope we see each other again soon!\u201d) stands out.<\/p>\n
He suggests thinking of follow-ups as interactive, not static. A message that references something you talked about, asks a brief question or proposes a next step is also a way to draw the other person out, he says.<\/p>\n
Based on their response, which helps you gauge their interest in moving forward, you can decide where to go from there.<\/p>\n
The bottom line on relationships<\/strong><\/h2>\nMattson\u2019s relationship with Bastian has spanned decades, industries and job titles, culminating in a collaboration that reshapes how two major aviation brands serve their customers. But from his perspective, it all comes back to the same fundamentals he used as a young banker walking into crowded rooms full of strangers.<\/p>\n
Have an openness and willingness to engage. Put yourself out there in the context of learning. Do the right thing consistently, even when no one\u2019s watching. You may not know which relationships will define your career over time, but they\u2019ll end up being your most valuable asset. Keep building them, one interaction at a time.<\/p>\n
Photo by Rawpixel.com\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When George Mattson met Ed Bastian in the late 1990s, he couldn\u2019t have predicted their relationship would eventually help shape how millions of people travel around the world. At the time, Mattson was a young banker at Goldman Sachs. He\u2019d just taken on responsibility for major client relationships in the Southeast, including Delta Air Lines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mindset"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5989,"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984\/revisions\/5989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelifesphere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}