I have read many articles, a few books, that utilized Starbucks to explain Biblical ideas. As an avid coffee, specifically Starbucks, drinker (I stay away from the term, “addict”), I believe that such utilization is completely warranted. The ability to meld the company into these types of conversations is easy due to the near spiritual experience one has with the pleasant drink. Recently, I realized that I had not written such a piece. This, of course, mandated that I open the laptop and start typing. It was about time.
Here we go…
In 2008, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, made a decision that would raise eyebrows nationwide. They would close their stores. The company had experienced dramatic growth in the subsequent years, but this tremendous pace did not come without its consequences. According to Schultz, the quality upon which Starbucks prided itself was waning. One of their foundational products, espresso, was inconsistent and unsatisfactory. They had lost their focus, lost their identity. On February 26, 2008, Schultz mandated that all stores close their doors for 3 ½ hours. During those moments, baristas would participate in a re-training of espresso-making. Shultz wanted to ensure that, when the doors reopened, patrons of their stores would experience a world-class espresso drink.
During those hours, nearly $6 million dollars was lost in employee costs and potential revenue. It was a bold move, but, according to Shultz, necessary. To proceed into the future with their current product would only result in greater harm. Though customers found themselves crying, curled up in a fetal position in the corner of a lonely room (that may have just been my experience), Starbucks’ baristas emerged better prepared to create the perfect drink. Starbucks had rediscovered its identity that, for several years, did not know it had lost.
There is danger in success. Before success, it is the core that moves an organization forward. It is the foundation. All business elements are supported by the core. When an organization experiences success, new opportunities begin to present themselves. If these opportunities are not closely attached to the core, then pursuit of these opportunities will take focus away from the core. Eventually, the core will become brittle from neglect. The foundation upon which the organization is structured will become unstable. The organization will start to show cracks.
Many organizations have failed because they forgot who they were. Unlike Starbucks, they did not get a second chance. They forgot that their existence derived from their core and consequences ensued. Organizations must protect their core. The opportunities that success brings are just that, opportunities. Their presence does not necessitate a chase. Opportunities must be evaluated before the chase. If, both internally and externally, they draw focus away from and not towards the organization’s core, they are probably best avoided.