I love coffee!

I love Starbucks coffee!

I love going to Starbucks, with my journal and a good book, and spending some time, by myself, in thought.

Speaking of Starbucks, I recently re-read “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul.”

In this great book, Howard Schultz, the then return-CEO of Starbucks, tells a remarkable story about he and his team turned around the company after a remarkable decline. Schultz identifies the leadership keys to the transformation of his company. These attributes can apply to any firm, and I am trying to learn and apply these in my life and with my company.

The leadership traits are:

1. Grow with discipline.
2. Balance intuition with rigor.
3. Innovate around the core.
4. Don’t embrace the status quo.
5. Find new ways to see.
6. Never expect a silver bullet.
7. Get your hands dirty.
8. Listen with empathy and over-communicate with transparency.
9. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you.
10. Use authentic experiences to inspire.
11. Stick to your values; they are your foundation.
12. Hold people accountable but give them tools to succeed.
13. Make the tough choices; it’s how you execute that counts.
14. Be decisive in times of crisis.
15. Be nimble.
16. Find truths in crisis and lessons in mistakes.
17. Be responsible for what you see, hear and do.
18. Believe

I fully agree with Howard’s advice, and I recommend his book!

Let’s go get this!

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