It's Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks

"At Starbucks, the coffee has to be excellent, from the sourcing and growing to theroasting and brewing. The vision has to be inspiring and meaningful. Our finances haveto be in order. But without people, we have nothing. With people, we have somethingeven bigger than coffee."During his many years as a senior executive at Starbucks, Howard Behar helped establishthe Starbucks culture, which stresses the importance of people over profits. He coachedhundreds of leaders at every level and helped the company grow into a world-renownedbrand. Now he reveals the ten principles that guided his leadership—and not one of themis about coffee.Behar starts with the idea that if you regard employees and customers as human beings,everything else will take care of itself. If you think of your staff as people (not laborcosts) they will achieve results beyond what is thought possible. And if you think of yourcustomers as people you serve (not sources of revenue) you'll make a deep connectionwith them, and they'll come back over and over.This approach has been integral to Starbucks from the start, and remains so today. Beharshares inside stories of turning points in the company's history as it fought to hang on tothis culture while growing exponentially. He discusses the importance of building trust,facing challenges, daring to dream, and other key principles, such as:• Know Who You Are: Wear One HatWhen organizations are clear about their values, purpose, and goals, they find the energyand passion to do great things.• Think Independently: The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Should Choose theBroomWe need to get rid of rules—real and imagined—and encourage the independent thinkingof others and ourselves.• Be Accountable: Only the Truth Sounds Like the TruthNo secrets, no lies of omission, no hedging and dodging. Take responsibility and saywhat needs to be said, with care and respect.• Take Action: Think Like a Person of Action and Act Like a Person ofThoughtFind the sweet spot of passion, purpose, and persistence. "It's all about the people" isn'tan idea, it's an action. Feel, do, think. Find the balance, but act.Behar believes that as work becomes less hierarchical and as the world economybecomes more and more about relationships and connecting, the principles of personalleadership are more important than ever. This book will show you the way.

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