Page 47 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 1

At the store level, partners are constantly finding ways to
be considerate in terms of local environmental and social
issues. Stefanie Harms explains how thoughtfulness can be
directed toward the community: “It was National Tree Day
in Australia, and a bunch of partners from Victoria gave up
their time to meet at Burnley Park to plant trees with other
volunteers. For me, it was a fun day on which I got to observe
the spirit and camaraderie that exists among Starbucks part-
ners. To my left, there were partners up to their elbows in
mud, planting trees and chatting with families from the area,
and to my right, there were Rohan and Celeste handing out
free drip coffee to volunteers on a break, chatting proudly
™
about the Fair Trade Certified Timor Lorosae coffee sam-
ples.” Stefanie and her teammates demonstrate what can be
accomplished both personally and socially when leaders
32 encourage their staff members to make environmental and
community service their own.

Looking Within
A sense of community—and respect for one another—is in-
creasingly rare in the modern workplace. Coworkers fre-
quently treat one another far worse than they do customers.
Considerate actions taken by leadership can serve to encour-
age thoughtful and respectful behavior among staff members.
When thoughtfulness becomes a part of a company’s cul-
ture, amazing acts of selflessness occur, and the lives of all are
enriched. For example, Mary Champaine was a manager at
a Starbucks Urban Coffee Opportunity store, a store run
through a joint venture partnership with Johnson Develop-
ment Corporation as a vehicle for economic development in
financially challenged neighborhoods.