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Gordon Bethune

Gordon Bethune Quotes

Executive

Gordon Bethune is an accomplished business leader renowned for his remarkable achievements in the aviation and healthcare industries. Born on August 29, 1941, he served as the CEO of Delta Air Lines, transforming the company into one of the world's leading airlines under his leadership.

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Famous Gordon Bethune Quotes

“It really helps to know what success is before you get there, and if you know, then you can head right for it. For some people, it's the most money. For some, it's the most power. For some, it's the most girlfriends. Everybody's got a measure. For me, I guess it's having the respect and admiration of your peers.”

People Ifs Knows Helping Girlfriend Admiration Peers

Author:Gordon Bethune

“If you say three things in a row that make sense, people will vote for you.”

People Ifs Three Vote Make Sense Three Things

Author:Gordon Bethune

“It all sounds almost silly, but the fact is that the only way to change a corporate culture is to just change it.”

Way Facts Culture Sound Silly Corporate Corporate Culture

Book:From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

Source: From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

“It's difficult to have everybody like everything you do. I don't know anybody that's perfect and doesn't have a zit somewhere.”

Knows Difficult Perfect Zits

Author:Gordon Bethune

“No one is going to stick their head out of the trenches for someone they don't respect or trust. You can get shot doing that.”

Shots Sticks Trenches

Author:Gordon Bethune

“You're only as good as your dumbest competitor.”

Author:Gordon Bethune

“The substitute for knowledge is money.”

Author:Gordon Bethune

“Somebody who knows what they're doing, who has a good track record, they come across as very articulate, bright and looking for a challenge - that's absolutely my kind of hire.”

Knows Kind Challenges Records Track Track Record

Author:Gordon Bethune

“A bankruptcy judge can fix your balance sheet, but he cannot fix your company.”

Company Judging Balance Sheets Bankruptcy Balance Sheets

Author:Gordon Bethune

“Most businesses fail because they want the right things but measure the wrong things, and they get the wrong results.”

Want Results Failing Right Thing Wrong Things

Author:Gordon Bethune

“The point is... you'd better figure out what your Customers - the Customers you want - value. Because that's what they'll buy. Anything else is a waste of their money, and they'll figure that out in a hurry.”

Want Values Figures Waste Customers

Book:From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

Source: From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

“You don't lie to your own doctor. You don't lie to your own attorney, and you don't lie to your employees.”

Lying Doctors Employee Attorney Don't Lie

Author:Gordon Bethune

“Every pilot thinks they're the best pilot in the world. I think I'm the best pilot.”

Thinking World Pilots

Author:Gordon Bethune

“It's the old adage: You can make a pizza so cheap, nobody will eat it. You can make an airline so cheap, nobody will fly it.”

Pizza Adages Airline

Author:Gordon Bethune

“I've spent my life as an airplane mechanic, pilot, aircraft manufacturer and airline CEO who never lost a life or an airplane. I am considerate of the risk we take every time we fly. I also know we need to fly and always to improve safety.”

Knows Needs Lost Risk Safety Pilots Airplane Ceo Mechanic Airline Aircraft Considerate Be Considerate Considerate And Caring

Author:Gordon Bethune

“It's not about market share. If you have a successful company, you will get your market share. But to get a successful company, what do you have to have? The same metrics of success that your customer does.”

Ifs Doe Company Successful Share Educational Customers Metrics Successful Company

Author:Gordon Bethune

“We're a stupid industry led by stupid people.”

People Stupid Industry Stupid People

Author:Gordon Bethune

“But I like to think that a lot of managers and executives trying to solve problems miss the forest for the trees by forgetting to look at their people -- not at how much more they can get from their people or how they can more effectively manage their people. I think they need to look a little more closely at what it's like for their people to come to work there every day.”

People Thinking Needs Trying Looks Littles Problem Forget Tree Missing Solve Forests Manage Managers Executives

Book:From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

Source: From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

“The airline business is the biggest team sport in the world. When you're all consumed with fighting among yourselves, your opponents can run over you every day.”

World Running Fighting Sports Team Opponents Over You Consumed Airline Sports Team Airline Business

Author:Gordon Bethune

“We tax air passengers like cigarettes and alcohol - we impose sin taxes on travellers.”

Sin Air Taxes Alcohol Cigarette Traveller Passengers Cigarettes And Alcohol

Author:Gordon Bethune

“Whether I'm at the hangar or at the airport or on an airplane, I get respect. And that's the best part of my day.”

Airplane Airports

Author:Gordon Bethune

“I was a mechanic in the Navy. And mechanics in the Navy are like mechanics in airlines. You may have more stripes than I do, but you don't know how to fix the airplane.”

Knows May Know How Airplane Mechanic Navy Airline Stripes

Author:Gordon Bethune

“You have to begin to put the infrastructure in place to put in high-speed trains...It should be a national priority. If the French can do it, why cant we?”

Ifs Should Can Do Train Speed Priorities Infrastructure Cant High Speed

Author:Gordon Bethune

“Since 1978 the record pretty well shows that no start-up airline . . . has really been successful, so the odds of JetBlue having long-term success are remote. I'm not going to say it can't happen because stranger things have happened, but I personally believe P.T. Barnum was, in that respect, correct.”

Believe Wells Long Shows Happens Term Successful Records Happened Stranger Long Term Aviation Odds Airline Long Term Success

Author:Gordon Bethune

“I don't think JetBlue has a better chance of being profitable than 100 other predecessors with new airplanes, new employees, low fares, all touchy-feely ... all of them are losers. Most of these guys are smoking ragweed.”

Thinking Guy Chance Lows Smoking Employee Aviation Loser Airplane Profitable Airline Predecessors Touchy New Employees

Author:Gordon Bethune

“Do you know how much faster I can fix an airplane when I want to fix it than when I don't want to fix it?”

Knows Want I Can Know How Intention Faster Aviation Self Motivation Do You Know Airplane Airline Fixing Power Of Intention

Author:Gordon Bethune

“It's like telling Mozart that there are too many notes in an opera. Which one do you want us to take out?”

Want Notes Aviation Opera Want U Airline

Author:Gordon Bethune

“It's not a testosterone-driven industry any longer. Success is making money, not in the size of the airline.”

Industry Size Driven Making Money Aviation Airline Testosterone Airline Business

Author:Gordon Bethune

“There are a lot of parallels between what we're doing and an expensive watch. It's very complex, has a lot of parts and it only has value when it's predictable and reliable.”

Values Watches Complexes Expensive Aviation Parallels Predictable Airline

Author:Gordon Bethune

“In airplanes you have a choice between chocolate and vanilla. One year could be vanilla or it could be chocolate. I don't attach any relevance to which one.”

Years Choices Aviation Chocolate Airplane Relevance Airline Vanilla

Author:Gordon Bethune

“The first step to problem solving is figuring out who's got the problem.”

Inspirational Firsts Problem Work Steps First Steps Problem Solving

Author:Gordon Bethune

“Watches are the only jewelry men can wear, unless you're Mr. T.”

Men Watches Jewelry

Author:Gordon Bethune

About the Author

Born: August 29, 1941
Known for: Executive
Quotes: 32

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Books & Sources

From Worst to First: Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable ComebackRelated source material

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