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I understand that striving to achieve profitability without sacrificing humanity sounds lofty. But I have always refused to abandon that purpose—even when Starbucks and I lost our way.
Obsessed with growth, we took our eye off operations and became distracted from the core of our business. No single bad decision or tactic or person was to blame. The damage was slow and quiet, incremental, like a single loose thread that unravels a sweater inch by inch.
inspire the human spirit. I realize this is a lofty mission for a cup of coffee, but this is what merchants do. We take the ordinary—a shoe, a knife—and give it new life, believing that what we create has the potential to touch others’ lives because it touched ours.
There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.
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.
When we love something, emotion often drives our actions. This is the gift and the challenge entrepreneurs face every day. The companies we dream of and build from scratch are part of us and intensely personal. They are our families. Our lives. But the entrepreneurial journey is not for everyone. Yes, the highs are high and the rewards can be thrilling. But the lows can break your heart. Entrepreneurs must love what they do to such a degree that doing it is worth sacrifice and, at times, pain. But doing anything else, we think, would be unimaginable.
That, as I've said, is what merchants do. We take something ordinary and infuse it with emotion and meaning, and then we tell its story over and over and over again, often without saying a word.
Starbucks is in the business of exceeding expectations.
The merchant's success depends on his or her ability to tell a story. What people see or hear or smell or do when they enter a space guides their feelings, enticing them to celebrate whatever the seller has to offer.
One tool stood out as particularly applicable to Starbucks. Michael called it the Transformation Agenda. Neither of these words was part of my or Starbucks’ vernacular at the time. But they resonated with me. “Transformation” spoke to the scale of change that Starbucks had to undertake, but with a positive connotation. The word “Agenda” provided an actionable framework. This was key.
“I am absolutely confident that we will turn the company around. It is going to be hard, and I am going to ask more of you than has ever been asked before. And you must ask yourself whether you believe in Starbucks’ mission, whether you believe we can do this. Whether you are up for it.”
Saying good-bye to people when they leave Starbucks never gets easier, even when I think it is the right choice for the company, and especially when I truly respect the individual. If I share a friendship with the person beyond work, this kind of career-altering event pretty much severs our personal bond, a cost I have reluctantly come to accept but never fully reconciled. Of course, as difficult as this process is for me, it is undoubtedly worse for those who leave.
knowledge can breed passion.
Coffee will never lose its romance. It will always bring people together and be part of conversations in every language, even as the conversations change. Coffee will forever connect.
“When did we stop hearing our own music?”
I do not mean to imply that Starbucks is by any means a perfect place to work or the ideal retailer, somehow above reproach. We have made many mistakes over the years, and we will continue to make them. But we do aim high. And we do have high expectations of ourselves as we try to manage the company through the lens of humanity.
Success is not sustainable if it's defined by how big you become.
Any company, when faced with adversity, would be tempted to go forward with an idea that promises to quickly erase pain.
But in business as in life, people have to stay true to their guiding principles. To their cores. Whatever they may be. Pursuing short-term rewards is always shortsighted.
Innovation, as I had often said, is not only about rethinking products, but also rethinking the nature of relationships.
Focusing on proactive growth was a right we had earned by virtue of transforming the US business, a privilege I would never again take for granted.
Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don't embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never
expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty. Listen with empathy and overcommunicate with transparency. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable but give them the tools to succeed. Make the tough choices; it's how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear, and do. Believe.
Growth, we now know all too well, is not a strategy. It is a tactic. And when undisciplined growth became a strategy
networks of retail stores, like us. Others distribute their products on grocery shelves all over the world, like us. And a few do an extraordinary job of building emotional connections with their customers, as we have learned to do. But only Starbucks does all three at scale,
