Page 48 - The Starbucks Experience

Make It Your Own

Mary had gone through more than her own share of per-
sonal adversity. Her son was killed in a violent crime, and her
husband died of cancer. Also, before going to work for Star-
bucks, she had lost her previous job at a company that had
gone bankrupt. However, despite all this personal turmoil,
Mary had a remarkable commitment to her Starbucks team
and her store. During a bus strike in Los Angeles, she was
known to pick up staff members and bring them to work. In
the spirit of being welcoming and being genuine, her pickup
service extended to regular customers as well.
Having noticed that the California lottery jackpot had
swelled to $87 million, Mary talked to her staff about buy-
ing tickets and collected $1 from each employee except two
who weren’t working. According to an article in the Associ-
ated Press, Mary conveyed, “I just went down in my purse
and I found enough change to include everybody. We are a 33
team here.”
Incredibly, Mary won the jackpot. She had the legal right
under California law to claim all $87 million for herself.
But, to the surprise of almost everyone except Mary, she
decided to share her winnings equally! In an interview aired
on CNN, Mary reflected: “We here at Starbucks work as a
team, and we support one another. And if I would have
taken all the money, then I wouldn’t have been part of
the team, and everything that I’ve been working for would
be nothing.”
Most acts of consideration at work don’t have such
extraordinary endings, but they certainly can when leader-
ship places a priority on consideration and when leaders
encourage staff members to put their own twist on the con-
cept. It is in this leadership environment that the ordinary
often is transformed into the extraordinary.