When George Mattson met Ed Bastian in the late 1990s, he couldn’t 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’d just taken on responsibility for major client relationships in the Southeast, including Delta Air Lines.
Bastian, who’d recently joined Delta from PepsiCo, was then the airline’s controller. They were both in their early 30s, early in their leadership journeys and, at least on paper, just two more names on each other’s growing contact lists.
“In that period of my career, I was building relationships with hundreds of different people,” Mattson recalls. “You never know which relationships you build over time will become more central to your future activities.”
At first, he and Bastian didn’t have many reasons to overlap day to day. As Bastian was promoted to CFO, however, he took on responsibility for Delta’s international partnerships, mergers and acquisitions and Wall Street relationships. That’s where he and Mattson began intersecting more frequently, working together on transactions and long-term strategy.
Over the years, their touchpoints multiplied. When Mattson left Goldman Sachs in 2012, he got a call he hadn’t anticipated: Delta’s then-CEO Richard Anderson and Bastian invited him to join the airline’s board. He accepted and, soon after, became chair of the finance committee, where he worked more closely with Bastian.
Three decades after their first meeting, both men are CEOs: Mattson now leads Wheels Up, a private aviation company offering on-demand private flights and a membership program, and Bastian is CEO of Delta. Their long-running relationship has evolved into a strategic partnership between the two companies.
Wheels Up and Delta launched a global partnership that gives members of Delta’s 360 program (an invitation-only membership for Diamond Medallion members) access to private aircraft options and flight credits through Wheels Up. In summer 2025, the two companies deepened the partnership, offering travelers flying Delta to five European cities—Athens, Barcelona, Naples, Nice and Rome—the option to add a Wheels Up private jet to extend their journey.
Forging authentic connections—not for what people can do for you, but out of curiosity and a genuine desire to learn—has been a constant in Mattson’s professional life.
“Make sure you’re building relationships—substantive relationships—throughout your career,” he says. “[This is] particularly [important] now, when so much of business gets transacted in an automated way, on text, on email, by Zoom, and increasingly with AI.”
Why professional relationships matter
Mattson attributes much of his success to the connections he’s made with people along the way. Relationships aren’t just nice to have alongside technical skills; they’re central to long-term success.
He points back to those early years covering Delta as one of many corporate clients. “I was always trying to engage with people and, in the process, not only learn from them but also allow them to get to know me,” he says. That dual focus—learning from others and letting them see who he is—laid the groundwork for opportunities he couldn’t have predicted, from his board seat at Delta to the eventual Wheels Up and Delta partnership.
“In every interaction, you’re building your reputation,” he says. “You don’t know in real time which relationships will end up being the most important ones.”
Here, Mattson shares six keys to building and deepening professional relationships that last.
1. Balance professional with personal
Over time, Mattson and Bastian’s relationship moved from the boardrooms to the tee box. The two both now live in Atlanta and enjoy traveling together, along with a friendly rivalry on the golf course. (Mattson jokes Bastian is improving, but that he’s still a little better.) Their partners are close friends too. That personal closeness, he says, is part of what makes the professional relationship so strong. But the key is knowing where to draw the line.
“We have a personal friendship and a business relationship. Those are complementary but separate,” Mattson says. When they’re on the golf course, it’s about fun and connection. When they’re aligning their companies on a complex initiative, it’s about making the right decisions for both organizations.
For your own career, that might mean grabbing coffee with a colleague just to talk about life, not work—and also knowing when to pivot into a more formal, business-focused mode when the situation calls for it.
2. Focus on trust
Ask Mattson what sits at the core of his relationship with Bastian and he doesn’t hesitate to respond: trust.
“Ed and I have known each other for about 30 years,” he says. “There’s trust. I know what he’s going to do; he knows what I’m going to do. We’ve built this base of trust, and trust comes from engagement in a way that’s consistent.”
Mattson, who is Greek American, points to a concept from his upbringing: filotimo. The word doesn’t have a clear English translation, but in his words, it reflects honor and the idea that you’re representing more than yourself.
“You’re representing where you come from,” he says. “You’re representing your family. You’re building a reputation. You’re doing the right thing not just when people are looking, but also when they’re not.”
Over time, that consistency—showing up, doing what you said you’d do, choosing the right path even when it’s not the easiest or most expedient—creates a pattern people can rely on. “You’re building your reputation every day in every interaction,” Mattson says.
3. Communication is key
The 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.
“We often text each other questions or just pick up the phone to talk,” Mattson says. It’s not about scheduling a major meeting every time something comes up; it’s about making space for ongoing real-time dialogue.
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’t replace genuine human exchange.
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.
4. Rethink networking
If you dread walking into a crowded networking event, you’d be like most people. “It’s awkward, right?” says Mattson. “You walk in, there’s a bunch of people you don’t know. It’s crowded. It’s noisy. You’re not sure what people are talking about.”
His advice: Don’t lead with a pitch.
“Rather than walking over to the corner and letting the time pass, walk up to a conversation that’s happening,” he suggests. “Listen for a while to what’s being said. Figure out how to engage in that conversation.”
You don’t have to introduce yourself with a rehearsed elevator pitch about who you are or what you do. Start by listening, then “look for the opportunity or the moment to engage in a way that’s additive,” Mattson says.
5. Always think forward
When 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—but Mattson cautions against networking only with people at your own level.
“When you’re learning something new, whether you’re 20 at the beginning of your career or 60 at the end, you’re learning from experiences and you’re learning from people,” he says. Those people can be colleagues, mentors, clients, superiors or even those junior to you.
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?
“That’s acknowledged as courageous,” he says. It signals that you’re serious about growing, and it often opens the door to deeper, ongoing conversations.
6. Follow through with follow-up
Finally, Mattson believes one of the most underrated relationship-building actions is simple: following up.
After meeting someone, a short note (i.e., “It was great to meet you. I really enjoyed our discussion about XYZ, and I hope we see each other again soon!”) stands out.
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.
Based on their response, which helps you gauge their interest in moving forward, you can decide where to go from there.
The bottom line on relationships
Mattson’s 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.
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’s watching. You may not know which relationships will define your career over time, but they’ll end up being your most valuable asset. Keep building them, one interaction at a time.
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