I recently read Howard Schultz’s post on LinkedIn about what Starbucks’ leadership needs to consider moving forward, in response to their significant shareholder earnings miss. I couldn’t help but reflect on how much I’ve distanced myself from the brand over the last several years.
For many people it may be that the pandemic forced them to make coffee at home and they got used to it. For me the dissatisfaction with the experience of buying a $5 no frills coffee set in well before 2020.
It used to be that I was drawn to the ambiance of the store, the friendly smiles and chit chat with the baristas, and bonus points for the locations where I went almost daily and everybody knew my name (CHEERS!). It was those human experiences with real people that were enthusiastic and warm that drew me in. They were ready to serve you and to make the experience enjoyable and even sometimes memorable. If you’re reading this, Chris or Joel, I’ll always remember you two - best. baristas. EVER!
So, as this INC.COM article so eloquently stated, what went wrong from Howard’s perspective? Starbucks leadership has no longer infused LOVE into the business, because they don’t love it. Howard loved it. He built it with love and passion that permeated the company from the executive team to the associates in stores. They were all a part of the soul of Starbucks and Starbucks part of Howard’s soul. That passion and light cannot be manufactured. It can’t be bought or sold.
No matter how big or small the business, the collective energy of those within, especially at the leadership level, will flow through and be experienced by the rest of the business. It will then either repel or attract clients and consumers. Culture eats strategy for breakfast rings true here. Leaders create micro-cultures based on their own energy for their work, the company, the people that work there and those they serve. If they are just after profit alone and going through the motions - at the expense of people, relationships and experiences - it may work in the short term but the sustainability of the business is in jeopardy.
On an individual level, a lack of love for WHERE you're giving your energy and HOW you're serving humanity will lead to lackluster results. Said another way, an abundance of love for WHERE you choose to give your energy, HOW YOU uniquely serve humanity, and how what you do SERVES YOU leads to personal fulfillment. This is true not just in work. In life too.
All of this reminded me of a book I’ve read many times which has been coming up for me a lot with clients as of late - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. In it he says, “Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse. And that’s where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become something better than we are.”
Go figure, Howard’s LinkedIn profile reads “Transformative leader”. He knows exactly what that means, deep in his heart.
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