The Starbucks Experience
Book Review
(Focusing specifically on the Five Ways of Being)
They call themselves the “litter picker-uppers”; they greet us with smiles and help us get a jump-start on our mornings. They are clad in green or black aprons and they don’t just sell us coffee. The Starbucks partners (we know them as employees) pride themselves on selling us not just coffee, but also a lifestyle, an experience unique to any other.
“Leaders at Starbucks have provided a structure that allows partners to infuse themselves into their work, so that they can inspire customers in legendary ways.” These legendary ways are known to these leaders as the “Five Ways of Being”. These five ways are “Be welcoming, Be genuine, Be considerate, Be knowledgeable, and Be involved”. These five ways, along with a management development pamphlet better known as the Green Apron Book “’Truly encapsulates the core philosophies of Starbucks. Cover to cover, it may take five minutes to read…Think about it. In essence, the company is marketing to its employees how important the principles and philosophies contained in this book are.” Says David M. Martin, and industry leader in retail banking solutions worldwide. (20-21).
These concepts seem relatively simple on a basic level, but they are lacking in many areas of customer service in other companies. Starbucks, in this way, is unique, which is why the experience they are selling is so unique. One of the simplest ways they do this is their first way of being “be welcoming”. Barista Joy Wilson, a Starbucks partner, shares just how simple it is to “be welcoming”. “I’m the drive-though queen at my store” Barista say. “I always set out to do the best job I possibly can. One of the ways I do that is I learn people’s names and drinks and the name of their dog and where their kids go to school and whatever else I can find out about them.” (23)
Did you know in order to wear a black apron, a Starbucks employee must “complete a significant number or hours of paid training, pass a series of content-based tests with high proficiency and lead a number of coffee tastings.” These black apron clad partners are knows as “Coffee Masters”. They are the partners with a true passion to be coffee experts (35). This takes their fourth “way of being” to a whole new level. How many people at Dunkin Donuts do you think have gone to such extensive lengths just to help serve you better? Odds are, few to none.
Their fifth way of being, “Be involved” means be involved “in the store, in the company, and in the community.” “Starbucks leaders capture the passion and vitality of their people by encouraging the 100,00-plus partners to take an active role at the store, business, and community levels.” Howard Schultz says “ People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be a part of something that touches their hearts.” By being so involved in everything ranging from their specific store, to their community and those surrounding, Starbucks partners have a multitude of opportunities to be a part of something that touches their hearts.
These ways of being are all part of something much larger, they are part of the first of five principles that Starbucks uses to be successful in selling a lifestyle. This first principle is “Make It Your Own”. The other four principles include “Everything matters, Surprise and delight, Embrace resistance, and finally, Leave your mark.” Each one of these alone is powerful in and of them self, but together they create a force that has propelled Starbucks into a whole new range of business. Starbucks is not JUST a coffee shop. It is a place to go to get away from the monotony of every day life. It is a place to meet with friends and catch up on each other’s lives. It is a place where employees become friends and can turn a bad day into a great one using any to all of the five principles that have made them what they are.
In the book “The Starbucks Experience” customers from Starbucks, as well as Starbucks partners share their stories of positive experiences and pleasant surprises they’ve encountered while at Starbucks, be it working or ordering a drink. From first time customers to seasoned regulars, the book is peppered with inspirational stories that will have you eagerly turning pages until the very end. The book itself is an experience, just as is going to Starbucks.
KeMa Blog 