Lessons from 21 Years at Starbucks, Yoga for your 70’s, The Kind Kids Club!
Business
Lessons from 21 Years at Starbucks
For 21 years Howard Behar led Starbuck’s domestic business as President of North American operations. He later became the founding President of Starbucks International opening the very first store outside of North America. During his tenure Starbucks grew from 28 stores to over 15,000.
Howard wrote an excellent book titled, “It’s Not About the Coffee” that outlines the 10 principles of personal leadership that have guided his career. I have the privilege of interviewing Howard tomorrow and I cannot wait to share with you what I learn. In the meantime, I wanted to give you the first 5 of his 10 Principles of Personal Leadership.
- Know You Are: Wear One Hat – This applies corporately and personally. An organization should know where it is going (vision), why it exists (purpose) and the rules it plays by (core values). Individuals should know where their strengths, passions and a need in the world overlap. They should only team up with organizations that fit them and that allow them to wear their one hat.
- Know Why You Are Here – Don’t make careers moves because to better your resume. Instead follow your passions and strengths.
- Think Independently – The person who sweeps the floor should buy the broom. Engage the hearts, hands and minds of your people. They have capabilities beyond your imagination.
- Build Trust – Care like you mean it. Building trust and truly caring takes time. There is a cost. Howard Schultz, Howard Behard and Orin Smith (Starbucks CFO) would meet for dinner every Monday night to catch up commiserate and get back in alignment. The trusted relationships these three leaders build flowed through the rest of the organization. Behard wrote birthday and company anniversary cards to most everyone in the organization. By the time he retired he was writing 2,500 cards a month!
- Listen for the Truth – Listen to what your customers are not saying. One restaurant chain I know of has a specific response when a customers says the meal is “fine.” They know what they are not saying and immediately work to turn a fine experience into something memorable.
We’ll hit the last 5 next week and I hope to have some great insights from my interview with Howard!
In The News
Sometimes, We Get Who We Deserve – In business and personal life, we attract who we deserve. Here are two secrets to raise your game and attract better people into your life. Check out the full article in the Valdosta Daily Times.
Health
Yoga through Your 70’s
Restorative yoga is a great, simple practice that you can take up any age. It’s a great stress reliever and can build you up to try more advanced poses. Check out a free class here! Mom and Dad – Check this out!
Life, Fun, Whatever
Check out the Kind Kids Club!
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