Evolving from a Boss into a Leader
This is the Introduction to an eBook “The Player Who ‘Serves’ Well Seldom Loses – in Business it’s NO different”. You’ll be receiving each chapter via email over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for Chapter 1 of 9 in your next email from BOSS.
Introduction – “Why Should I Evolve?”
Howard Schultz was the man at the reins when Starbucks went supernova. Before he joined the Starbucks team, Starbucks was in its humble beginnings phase, having extended only a little beyond the original single storefront in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.
As of today there are over 15,000 Starbucks outlets, servicing a worldwide market.
What does Mr. Schultz consider to be his single greatest contribution to the franchise’s explosion?
He invested in the people working for him. He brought in benefits for part-time employees (unheard of in almost any industry). He made it the company’s goal to hire well-educated people and to pay them more than his competition would in order to defeat the industry’s 300% per year turnover rate.
It probably wasn’t easy. He had to convince a board of directors that it would be worthwhile in the long run (boards being notoriously short-sighted).
But he persisted. He now enjoys an employee retention rate that is over five times that of the industry as a whole.
And Starbucks is… well, Starbucks.
“When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.”
– Howard Schultz
The goal of this book is to help you figure out how to create a company culture, an environment, a vibe, call it what you will, where everyone who is working for you wants to work with you.
This shift in perspective is twofold. First, your view of your relationship with your employees must change from them being your underlings who are there to serve you, to you being there to serve them.
Second, we want to change your employees’ view of you from you just being their boss to you being their leader; the person encouraging them as all of you together work toward a goal shared by everyone and not just yourself.
Your goals will be met quicker.
Word will spread and top people in your industry will want to work for you instead of your competition (even if you can’t pay as much as the next company).
You’ll enjoy work.
Your employees will enjoy their work.
Your customers or clients and vendors will enjoy working with your happy employees.
It worked for Starbucks. It can work for you.
“Starbucks is not an advertiser; people think we are a great marketing company, but in fact we spend very little money on marketing and more money on training our people than advertising.”
– Howard Schultz
