Onward: How Starbucks fought for its life without losing its soul. Howard Schultz & Joanne Gordon.
Today I read that Howard Schultz is definitely stepping down from his front position at Starbucks to take a role with a different scope. All those around me know I am a total fan of the Seattle brand (click this post here) because its worldwide cafeterias have been my office during all those years in international operational HR. When I read Onward, I confirmed Starbucks as my lovebrand for life.
In his book, Schultz tells the story of the first time he decided to self-demote, in a very deep culture crisis for the brand, to work from a more operational position to bring the meaning and purpose of the brand back. It’s quite unusual to find a CEO who takes such decisions without anybody forcing him to do so. Sometimes, somebody has to take a step back to take ten steps forward. A very inspirational story in a time where finding humble, brave boards of directors is quite an anecdote.
