Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

by Howard Schultz

Ultimately, closing our stores was most powerful in its symbolism. It was a galvanizing event for Starbucks’ partners—the term we use for our employees—a stake in the ground that helped reestablish some of the emotional attachment and trust we had squandered during our years of focusing on hypergrowth. A bold move that I stand by today, it sent a message that decisiveness was back at Starbucks. No doubt, after that Tuesday, thousands of Starbucks espresso shots were poured like honey. But a symbolic act and three hours of education would not solve our mounting problems. We had a long, long way to go—further than I had imagined when I returned as ceo.

We also sold books, creating several best sellers and helping to put unknown authors on the map.

Cool

I had written hundreds of memos during my 26 years at the company, and all had shared a common thread. They were about self-examination in the pursuit of excellence, and a willingness not to embrace the status quo. This is a cornerstone of my leadership philosophy.

Our strategy was to do more of what had worked in the past. But we were not pushing ourselves to do things better or differently. We were not innovating in lasting ways. We were venturing into unrelated businesses like entertainment. And we were pushing products that deviated too far from the core coffee experience.

“The world belongs to the few people who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.”

Every once in a while, I penned a memo out of a spontaneous desire to share what I was thinking.

I like this.

“Protect and preserve your core customers,” he told our marketing team when I invited him to speak to us. “The cost of losing your core customers and trying to get them back during a down economy will be much greater than the cost of investing in them and trying to keep them.”

At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others,