Friday, May 1, 2009

It's not about the coffee


It was labour day today, a public holiday and had some free time, so i decided to browse around the bookshop for some motivational books and came across this book "It's not about the coffee" by Howard Behar (Starbucks Former President) This book offer a simple set of concrete principles that can guide the leadership actions you take in your own life. It's not about the coffee is a call to create lives, workplaces, and a world that we can be proud of.

Behar starts with the idea that if you regard employees and customers as human beings, everything else will take care of itself. If you think of your staff as people (not labor costs) they will achieve results beyond what is thought possible. And if you think of your customers as people you serve (not sources of revenue) you'll make a deep connection with them, and they'll come back over and over. 

This approach has been integral to Starbucks from the start, and remains so today. Behar shares inside stories of turning points in the company's history as it fought to hang on to this culture while growing exponentially. He discusses the importance of building trust, facing challenges, daring to dream, and other key principles, such as: 

Know Who You Are: Wear One Hat
When organizations are clear about their values, purpose, and goals, they find the energy and passion to do great things. 

Think Independently: The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Should Choose the Broom

We need to get rid of rules--real and imagined--and encourage the independent thinking of others and ourselves. 

Be Accountable: Only the Truth Sounds Like the Truth
No secrets, no lies of omission, no hedging and dodging. Take responsibility and say what needs to be said, with care and respect. 

Take Action: Think Like a Person of Action and Act Like a Person of Thought
Find the sweet spot of passion, purpose, and persistence. "It's all about the people" isn't an idea, it's an action. Feel, do, think. Find the balance, but act. 

Behar believes that as work becomes less hierarchical and as the world economy becomes more and more about relationships and connecting, the principles of personal leadership are more important than ever. This book will show you the way. 

 ♥ by spongy ♥

0 comments: