Bethune had a model of centralized control and decentralized execution on the management side. He put a pilot in charge of all things airplane, put inflight under flight ops, and simply ran it lean and mean. He trusted employees to make decisions and pushed accountability to the lowest level. I think he learned that stuff as an enlisted man in the Navy. On the corporate side he developed and managed relationships at Boeing and GE and on wallstreet to infuse the business plan. I think he is one of those rare leaders who had the ability to get everyone on the same page for the sake of the mission.

I was impressed by his honesty, and his candor. He actually spoke pilot speak and he could speak bag thrower speak all at the same time. He could just communicate with and to everyone in the room, without talking down to anyone. He kept his arrogance in the trunk of his Porche. This allowed him to get the best out of everyone around him.