Page 73 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 2

in the lingering impression that customers have of a company.
Great leaders look for ways to maximize the felt sense that
their business generates. In order to do this, these leaders help
their people execute on the minute but significant details that
positively affect the way they are viewed.

Never Cut Corners on Quality
From the perspective of Starbucks management, few things
affect the reputation of a business more than a resounding
Everything Matters approach to quality. While managers in
some businesses think that they can cut corners without com-
promising their company’s brand or reputation, particularly
in unseen (below-deck) areas, they are mistaken.
To put it simply, the vast majority of shortcuts backfire.
58 This is illustrated by the story of a wealthy man who asked
a builder to spare no expense in creating his mansion. Since
the man was out of the country while the home was being
constructed, the builder decided that he could make the infra-
structure out of inferior material and cover it up with supe-
rior finish work. The builder could then overcharge the man
based on the home’s appearance. When the owner returned
to the country, he was so taken by the beauty of the home
that he told the builder, “This is simply too nice a house for
me. Here, you take the keys.”
There is no hidden inferior material at Starbucks. On the
contrary, Starbucks epitomizes a company that has achieved
amazing success by not compromising on quality. Manage-
ment at Starbucks takes pride in the quality of the products
the company serves, instilling a passion for excellence by cen-
trally placing the demand for quality in the company’s mis-
sion statement. That statement asserts that Starbucks partners