Page 195 - The Starbucks Experience
P. 195

A Final Word



            stated, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, com-
            mitted citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only
            thing that ever has.”



            Excellence versus Perfection
            With all this talk about changing the world, I fear I may be
            leaving you with the impression that Starbucks is a near-
            perfect company. Such an impression could actually work
            against your putting these principles into action. Who wants
            to aspire to unattainable goals? In truth, Starbucks leaders
            have made their share of missteps, and store partners are sub-
            ject to all human foibles.
              While I have tried to stay on course with transferable les-
            sons from Starbucks, I certainly have collected the occa-
     180    sional sad stories of partner conflicts, baristas who called
            in sick at the last moment, bad service moments, and even
            in-store romances gone bad. Overall, my experience as a
            customer at Starbucks has been very positive and uplifting.
            In fact, as I waited for a drink recently, I had a barista
            playfully apologize by saying, “I am sorry for your long
            wait, but we are taking great care to ensure that your
            drink is lovingly handcrafted by our indigenous baristas.”
            I loved that.
              Unfortunately, I’ve also had Starbucks visits where it was
            clear that my barista just wasn’t with the program that day.
            But, on balance, Starbucks is an exemplary business—one,
            as I suggested in the introduction, that qualifies as a culture-
            changing growth story of our time. Starbucks excellence
            emerges from visionary management, a passionate entrepre-
            neurial spirit, a social conscience, and guiding principles that
            are inculcated into the fabric of the business.
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