Page 163 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 4

fund-raiser. Unfortunately, Pork & Beans interfered with traf-
fic flow, and we began to hear complaints from customers.”
While trying to address the customers’ needs, Gerald ran
into a new series of difficulties. “We couldn’t put her outside
because the weather would destroy her, so I decided we could
probably mount her over the front door. That really created
roadblocks, as we were limited in the structural changes we
could make in the store. My team had to get the permission
of the Pike Place Market Historical Commission and ulti-
mately work with store designers to draw plans for how Pork
& Beans was to sit above the door. The staff had to demon-
strate how the sow was going to be supported, how she was
going to be earthquake-proofed, and how she wasn’t going
to affect the historical impression of the store.”
“The longer Pork & Beans sat near the counter, the more
148 complaints we received,” continued Gerald. “The more we
tried to solve the dilemma, the more resistance there was
from the historical commission. With perseverance, though,
we were able to get approval, partner with the maintenance
guys from the Pike Place Market, and move Pork & Beans to
her perch above the door. And there she sits, oblivious to all
the work she caused.”
Even with all its open-minded policies and never-ending
leadership quest to do things better, there are times when
Starbucks partners can’t solve a problem. While persistence
enabled them to move a pig, Starbucks executives couldn’t
do much to stop elephants and other migratory animals from
tramping through a coffee estate near the Ngorongoro Crater
in Tanzania. So Starbucks leadership and the estate had to
just accept the paths determined by the animals. When resist-
ance beats you, all that is left is your creative spirit. Playfully,
Starbucks named a premier coffee from Tanzania, from its