Page 149 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 4

there will be other sites on other days.” Becoming involved
in the community (even when it is wary of you), patiently
waiting for greater acceptance, and on occasion deciding to
table the opportunity for a better time, all represent the dis-
cipline that distinguishes great organizations from impatient,
myopic ones.
Whether in the community or in their stores, Starbucks
leaders have learned that walking away from short-term bat-
tles often promotes a healthier, more collaborative long-term
future. Former store manager Gerald Kyle (now a district
manager) experienced this firsthand. He comments, “The cus-
tomers at the Pike Place Market store came in expecting to
find the same pastry product line they could find at any other
Starbucks. However, our lease agreement is fairly restrictive
at that historic location. For example, we were not allowed
134 to sell fresh food and could sell only boxed or packaged food
items. Over the months, customers kept asking for more food
options. So, we started wrapping pastries and selling them to
meet customers’ demands. Some of the other vendors in the
market apparently complained and said we were in violation
of our lease by selling those wrapped pastries.”
Gerald prepared an argument for market officials, in the
hope that he could persuade them to allow him to continue
to sell food. The crux of his argument was that many of the
people who complained were also violating their leases by sell-
ing espresso. Before Gerald made his pitch, however, he spoke
with his district manager, who gave him valuable insights into
why it was important for him to honor the terms of the lease
in response to the concerns raised by other vendors.
As Gerald explains, “I remember my district manager
looking at me and saying, ‘Gerald, we’re Starbucks, and we
just have to be bigger than all of that.’ He was correct. In this