I’m not sure if it stems from my love of books, the contagious enthusiasm of the baristas, or my coffee addiction passion, but I am enthralled by all of the books relating to Starbucks.
I mentioned Onward by Howard Schultz in my Top 12 Books of 2012 post a few weeks ago, which focuses on the company’s highs and lows from the CEO’s perspective. In The Starbucks Experience, Dr. Joseph Michelli takes a different viewpoint and offers five lessons in moving from ordinary to extraordinary.
Consider “the cup of coffee.” Having a cup of coffee is certainly not new. I fondly remember sitting in my grandparents’ kitchen – which often felt like Grand Central Station with its bustle of activity and visitors – and the first question asked of anyone walking through the door was, “How about a cup of coffee?”
Over the years, however, Starbucks has encouraged us to take this routine part of our day and make it a “moment.” Rather than mindlessly gulping down a cup, the atmosphere in your local Starbucks shop prompts you to sit down, savor, and enjoy the experience. Truly connect with yourself or the person with you.
And they’ve built a wildly successful business model on this concept of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Here are a couple of my takeaways from The Starbucks Experience that you can implement in your own business or career to help set yourself apart, succeed in a values-oriented way, and make the most of your work experience:
- Surprise & Delight. Starbucks partners (their term for employees) take pride in their work and often remember your name, your drink preference, even your kids’ names! They are given permission to make decisions and to go above-and-beyond to make someone else’s day. How do you do this in your work? Do you send gratitude cards to your favorite clients? Surprise customers with a gift periodically? My coaching clients often find a book or resource in their mailbox, “just because.” Consider how you can surprise and delight your customers, coworkers, and colleagues.
- Leave Your Mark. A central theme within Starbucks is “make a difference.” You’ll see this in the ways they surprise & delight (see above), but also in their commitment to making a sustainable difference – serving Fair Trade coffee, for example. According to The Starbucks Experience, all partners are encouraged to leave the store, community, and world a little better than they found it. How do you make a positive impact with your work? Do people feel better after talking with you? Contemplate how you can not only leave a mark, but a wildly positive one at that!
Other principles shared throughout the book include Make It Your Own (add your personal touch), Everything Matters (pay attention to details), and Embrace Resistance (open yourself to feedback).
The Starbucks Experience is one of those books that you don’t want to simply read and place on the shelf. Its clear lessons, applicable in any work setting, invite us to examine our own professional experience and uplevel it in significant, sustainable ways.
I encourage you to adopt one of these principles for the next week and commit to playing it out on a daily basis. At the end of your week, reflect on your experiences and see how you – and perhaps your environment and those around you – have taken a step from ordinary to extraordinary!