Why Do I Do It
Some people (2) have asked me about this blog and why do I do it. The real reason is this: I do it for myself, I like writing and learning, and when I explain what I learn and blog about it I never forget it.
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The Vision of Howard Schultz
The story started in Italy, as a Business trip of the company he worked for, Starbucks. The Seattle based company, which at the beginning only sold coffee beans.
Bongiorno!! A barista enthusiastically welcomed Howard, offered an espresso and proceeded to carefully and lovingly, almost like a ritual, started serving the coffee to him.
"This is not his job, this is his passion."
That vision of "The 3rd place" stuck into Howard Schultz.
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The Third Place
A Business model depends mostly on the solution that is provided by a business. And Starbucks envisioned a setting as a solution:
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Building Culture
As a business leader, I wanted to build a kind of company that my dad never had a chance to work for. Creating an Engaging, respectful and trusting culture is complex. It needs intention, process and heart.
Half-time workers were offered healthcare benefits and stock options, making everyone feel engaged with the company's performance.
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The Crisis and Transformation
Icons don't confuse history with heritage. Icons disrupt themselves before others disrupt them. Icons are willing to sacrifice near-term popularity for long term relevance.
We have defaulted that when cup sales were doing good, logistics and sourcing were good as well. We thought in terms of millions of customers and thousands of stores, instead of one customer, one partner, and one cup of coffee at a time.
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Lessons Learned
I loved how passionate Howard is about his business and the culture that he was creating. As said before in Driven to Delight: Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
*Angel Escamilla Rdz*
