Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. (Starbucks.com)
Why did I chose this resource?
I chose to read this book to be a better CEO, specifically because it shows how Howard Schulz came back to a company he helped found and turned it around while maintaining what he calls the “soul” of the company.
What did you learn from it?
Running a company is a hard job. It’s even harder when its a multi-billion dollar global brand. I learned how Starbucks’ leadership team set goals, objectives, strategies around values that they found dear. They took outside feedback from peers (Michael Dell) and consultants (communications, strategy, pr). They admitted failure and were honest about their short comings.
Key Knowledge
- Strive to create the most recognized AND enduring global brands
- Celebrate and learn from past failures
- Give team members benefits that make them feel more than “employees”
- Provide a quality product
- Don’t compromise on price, but increase the value if the economy gets tough
- Seek feedback from customers
- Stay relevant to the world’s changing tides
- “We’re in the people business serving coffee,
not the coffee business serving people”
How are you using what you learned?
I have thought about how the “Anant experience” can be modeled after the “Starbucks experience.” What Starbucks did for coffee, we can do for the spattering of bad service providers that people generally have access to as a small team or company. Just as Shulz brought espresso to the masses in America and beyond from Italy, we can bring Enterprise Architecture in the form of Internet Architecture and the ideas of the Modern Enterprise to the masses.
Key Changes
- Invest in physical space to create the “Anant experience”
- Qualify vendors or contractors or staff differently – quality people make quality teams
- Think about what we are doing for the community with our presence
- Treat every potential customer with respect and nicely guide them to make the decision to buy
- Reinforce the “Enterprise Operations” practice as a “Support Practice” because it supports the Client Practice
How can we as a company or individuals in the company use this?
Starbucks is a big brand. After reading this book, I understand the gargantuan task of managing so many thousands of stores around the world and ensuring that each espresso shot is delivered perfectly. I understand now that the decisions they make on the locations, the machinery that makes the coffee such as the Mostreno or the Clover machines affects customers’ as much as the production of the coffee itself.
Key Actions
- Invest in physical space to create the “Anant experience”
- Qualify vendors or contractors or staff differently – quality people make quality teams
- Think about what we are doing for the community with our presence
- Treat every potential customer with respect and nicely guide them to make the decision to buy
- Reinforce the “Enterprise Operations” practice as a “Support Practice” because it supports the Client Practice
Source
- Name : Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul
- Author : Howard Schulz
- Dropbox: \Research.Development\Knowledge\Books\Books.Audio