Page 112 - The Starbucks Experience

Surprise and Delight

Joy from Unexpected Sources
One of the great things about surprises is that their impact
can be far-reaching. Once a business culture embraces the
importance of generating joy, pleasing others takes on a life
of its own. Not only do staff members surprise customers,
but they also surprise one another. The coworkers of
Bernadette Robinson, a Starbucks barista in Chicago, Illinois,
were able to deliver a surprise of life-changing proportion
when they enlisted the resources of one of the world’s best-
known celebrities.
Bernadette was a single mother of three whose family lit-
erally tripled in size overnight after she rescued her six nieces
and nephews, who had been placed in state custody. Her
Starbucks coworkers knew about Bernadette’s huge heart and
her small apartment, so they launched an all-out campaign
to get the attention of Oprah Winfrey’s television show pro- 97
ducers. Unbeknownst to Bernadette, the other partners at the
store did all they could to get Oprah to help their colleague.
They aggressively bombarded Oprah with pleas on
Bernadette’s behalf. Ultimately, Oprah surprised Bernadette
by showing up at the Starbucks counter where Bernadette
worked! In response to Bernadette’s colleagues’ requests for
assistance, Oprah provided a shopping spree for all the chil-
dren in Bernadette’s care and, more important, a new, fur-
nished home for Bernadette and her family.
In a culture like Starbucks, where leaders surprise staff
members and staff members surprise customers, it is no won-
der that Bernadette’s colleagues would seek to positively sur-
prise her. What often goes unnoticed, however, is that this
dynamic energy activates customers to surprise one another.
Barista Danielle states, “I was on drive-through, and one
gentleman told me that he would like to buy the next per-