Are You Leveraging Moments of Opportunity?

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.

By Steve Moran

You would have to have been in the backcountry to miss the Monday collapse of the stock market. I wrote an article that was, in part, inspired (can you be inspired by something like that?) by what happened. I would have never have thought of  doing what Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks did.

It Was Absolutely Brilliant!

He sent a memo (full text as published by the Washington Post below) to each of his 190,000 partners (Starbucks term for employees). The crux of the memo was that employees should be aware that many customers will be more stressed than usual and that employees should make an extra effort to be nice to them.

We Are Leaders Together

To: Starbucks partners; managing directors for company-operated and joint venture markets

Date: August 24, 2015

Re: Message from Howard: Leading Through Turbulent Times

The subject line seems at first to be absurd. He is, in effect, saying that line baristas are somehow leaders in the world of business, but it is brilliant. He is reminding them that Starbucks is something very special in the marketplace and that each employee, in their own unique individual way, is a significant part of that leading organization . . . and this is not fluff, it is true.

Reinforcing the Mission

. . . my confidence in our company and in all of you has never been greater.

We are making a profound social impact in the communities we serve around the world, and will continue to do so today and into the future.

I can assure you that we will continue to lead and manage the company through the lens of humanity, doing everything we possibly can to continue to make your families proud of our company and all we stand for. You have my word on this.

In all of this, he is reinforcing the specialness of them and the team. They are not just serving drinks . . . they are changing humanity. Bold, heady stuff that can do nothing other than make you proud of what you do.

The Challenge . . . and Inspiration

Please recognize this and – as you always have – remember that our success is not an entitlement, but something we need to earn, every day. Let’s be very sensitive to the pressures our customers may be feeling, and do everything we can to individually and collectively exceed their expectations.

I don’t know about you, but I almost want to quit blogging and publishing to become a part of a place where I can make a real difference.

We Are More Important Than Starbucks

Starbucks is an amazing organization and yet each day as we serve our team members, our residents and their families we are doing something way more important than serving a cup of coffee . . . and  I do love coffee.  

We are powerfully impacting humanity in the form of families. We need to be watching our world to send these kinds of message to our teams. 

Imagine a senior living executive sending out an email to team members that says something like this:

We are an amazing organization doing important work, caring not only for seniors but their families as well. Most of our residents depend on their investments to pay to live with us . . . to pay our wages. It is likely that the residents you so compassionately care for (and their families) will feel some anxiety about their pensions and their savings in this time of turbulence.  

It is a time to be extra sensitive and extra kind and sympathetic to residents and families as they are watching this unfold.   

I have great faith that you will continue to make us a shining example of everything right about senior living.

Thanks for all you do.

CEO

We need to be looking to what is happening in the world, what is impacting residents, families and team members and use them as powerful opportunities to reinforce the importance of what we do. 

THE FULL TEXT To: Starbucks partners; managing directors for company-operated and joint venture markets Date: August 24, 2015 Re: Message from Howard: Leading Through Turbulent Times Dear Partners, During our 23-year history as a public company, we have experienced – and successfully navigated through – several periods of extreme stock market volatility. And although we are not immune from the global stock market selloff that has now made its way to Wall Street, my confidence in our company and in all of you has never been greater. We are in the midst of another record-setting year – combining our unique “third place” in-store experience with highly relevant coffee and tea innovation and differentiated customer-facing mobile and digital technologies. We are making a profound social impact in the communities we serve around the world, and will continue to do so today and into the future. Our company has weathered many different types of storms. But our brand has never been stronger or more relevant. Our pipeline of new products and breakthrough innovation has never been more robust. And our long term commitment to delivering an elevated partner experience is unwavering. I can assure you that we will continue to lead and manage the company through the lens of humanity, doing everything we possibly can to continue to make your families proud of our company and all we stand for. You have my word on this. Today’s financial market volatility, combined with great political uncertainty both at home and abroad, will undoubtedly have an effect on consumer confidence and perhaps even our customers’ attitudes and behavior. Our customers are likely to experience an increased level of anxiety and concern. Please recognize this and – as you always have – remember that our success is not an entitlement, but something we need to earn, every day. Let’s be very sensitive to the pressures our customers may be feeling, and do everything we can to individually and collectively exceed their expectations. Our growth plans for the future of our company will not be impacted by the turmoil of the financial markets. We will positively manage through today’s challenging environment just as we have positively navigated through challenging moments in the past. The experience we deliver in our stores, the strength and equity of our brand, and the primary reason for our current and future success is because of all of YOU. I believe in you and have never been prouder to be your partner. Onward, Howard