Changed our imagination about coffee. "

Starbucks, the ubiquitous chain retailer, makes drinking coffee a national pastime. In the world, Starbucks is not only recognized as one of the most effective and popular brands, but also has a substantial impact on the global economic and social development. At present, Starbucks has opened more than 18000 stores in more than 60 countries, creating more than 200,000 jobs. Therefore, before delivering an important jobs plan speech, US President Obama specially called Starbucks founder Howard Schultz to thank Starbucks for its outstanding contribution to job creation.

Starbucks has leapt from an ordinary small cafe to a coffee empire with retailers, coffee processors and famous coffee brands. Through the book "Starbucks leadership" (translated by Zhou Fangfang, Citic Publishing House) by Joseph Michelle, a senior American business consultant, we know that Starbucks' success not only begins with its mission of "stimulating and nurturing the humanistic spirit, starting with everyone, every cup of coffee, every block", but also broadens and enriches the "relationship" between people from the success of Starbucks. "in the United States, service is an unknown art. Working behind the bar is not considered a professional job. " "but we want dignity and self-respect for our employees, so we provide tangible benefits," Schultz said. " Therefore, the expenses originally used for advertising expenses are used for employee welfare and training, and all employees are called "partners". Among the benefits Schultz offers, including comprehensive health insurance for full-time and part-time employees, as well as employee stock options, there are indeed few precedents in American companies.

Starbucks is not only a coffee company, but also a human company. The core and soul of Starbucks is Starbucks people. At Starbucks, employees are called "partners". Therefore, customers who are attracted by the store or brought in by mobile phones will get the best experience in the store, so as to ensure a steady stream of "repeat customers". In Switzerland, a couple walked into a Starbucks store for the first time, and the waiter welcomed them warmly. When asked what they needed, the couple said they were just coming in to have a look. But they soon became regulars of the Starbucks. What is the charm of Starbucks? Not only the profound coffee knowledge and superb coffee skills, but also every "partner" is a lover and communicator who is willing and good at sharing coffee culture and Starbucks humanistic spirit. They will share and teach knowledge on various coffee topics through face-to-face communication with customers.

In terms of action strategy, Starbucks leaders identified "seven initiatives". The company's goal is to "become the world's enduring large company, become the most popular and respected world-famous brand, and pay attention to and encourage the cultivation of humanistic spirit." The book "the way Starbucks leads" almost covers Starbucks' basic leadership principles in all periods of development, including periods of sustained rapid growth, economic downturn, recovery and change. Among them, it focuses on the key strategies and methods used by Starbucks leaders, especially in product innovation, new product research and development, international market development, technology and social media innovation. In the book, Michelle uses the words "connection", "humanity", "humility" and "passion" to highly summarize the basic principles of Starbucks leadership, which boils down to "love" in one word. In the view of Starbucks founder Howard, most leadership boils down to three characteristics: "love", "humanity" and "humility". "on the face of it, these three traits conflict and do not blend with each other." but if the leader of an enterprise has these three traits, not only the efficiency of the enterprise will be improved, but the value of the company will also reach an unprecedented height. "if every high-performance enterprise around the world can promote the spirit of love, humanity and humility, it must be invincible."

"if I'm not at Starbucks, I must be on my way to Starbucks." Howard, the soul of Starbucks, found romance and passion in coffee, as well as a way to make people stand in line to buy a few dollars of coffee. One of Starbucks' value propositions is that what Starbucks sells is not coffee, but people's experience of coffee. Buying a latte at Starbucks is not just a modern thing, but an indispensable leisure time in life. Light drinks do not seem to be coffee, but enjoy the surprise and pleasure on the tip of the tongue, as well as spiritual and emotional rewards.

The New Yorker once said that Schultz "changed our imagination about coffee." Everything is like Starbucks founder Howard Schultz once said in the book Starbucks: the Legend of the Coffee Kingdom. Get rid of the gloomy daily life and create a new situation. We try to decorate the coffee shop into an oasis of life, so that people nearby have a small place to rest, listen to jazz, think about the universe and dust, and even think about the new things in the coffee cup. "

Starbucks is not the first company to make coffee, but it is the most successful. In Starbucks coffee shops, the emphasis is no longer coffee, but a culture that advocates knowledge, respects the human standard, and has a little "petty bourgeoisie" atmosphere. Here, what customers drink is not just coffee, but, above all, a culture, which is the root of Starbucks's success; and this is the $43 billion coffee empire leveraged by cups of coffee for a few dollars. As Schultz said, "We are not a coffee company that provides services, but a service company that provides coffee." In his book Starbucks: nothing to do with Coffee, former Starbucks Executive Vice President Howard Bihar also argues that Starbucks's success comes from its brand and cultural promotion, rather than the so-called coffee beans. It may be a bit of a surprise, but for or against it, Starbucks is becoming a ubiquitous symbol of an ever-changing China, just as it has done in other countries. As a multinational chain, Starbucks has only one version of its management, copied from the North American continent and applicable everywhere.