Happy Leadership Conference to all the Starbucks partners in Houston! (Or to those dreaming of being there). Today starts the Starbucks Leadership Conference. The last big one (in the United States) was in 2008. I tweeted this, but since some readers here don’t see my tweet (and I can a lot more in a blog post), I just wanted to say a huge “Happy Leadership Conference” and thank you to all the store managers who make the Starbucks mission statement come to life.
The photo comes from inside the Starbucks headquarters in Seattle. It’s a huge sign on a wall in an area of high foot-traffic, just as you enter on the eighth floor.
The Starbucks Mission Statement reads, “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
What do those words mean to you?
(For the Starbucks history buffs, as I understand it, during the 2005 Starbucks Leadership Conference, Starbucks gave their store managers this highly collectible set of espresso cups and saucers. I bet there will be Starbucks schwag again! LOL)
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haha! I do NOT know how you find all this information out- but I think it is just great. 🙂 I live about 5 hours from Houston and I didn’t know they did things like this. It’s such a great company…. Inspiring and nurturing the human spirit, one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time….to me, that means that, in whatever way, you can make a small, positive impact that will reverberate and influence the making of other small, positive impacts. Starbucks makes coffee and that is the way they can do it- but we can do it by simply offering of ourselves to help others up when they need it. 🙂
Melody I wish the mission statement could be posted in the stores for all to see. I think the mission has gotten lost along the way. Some partners and store managers are totally true to the mission like Chad but others are just not feeling it. It is a shame that there is such difference from one store to the other. I hope that this leadership conference will bring back to store managers and partners some positive and valid info they can share with the ones that could not go.
I should also say the statement means to me that partners and store managers should view the customer as more than a customer. I view it as the customer has something to offer besides their money and that starbucks is there is bring something back to the customer besides coffee, etc.
@Tricia – Twitter, Facebook, having a blog that many read, and being in Seattle – That’s how, just as an honest answer. The twitter profile @Starbucksprtnrs has been tweet and RTing tons of tweets and photos about Leadership. They’ve been RTing pics of people in Houston, getting ready for Houston – The twitter profile @StarbucksPrtnrs is a must follow for the partner connection (and customers who are cheerleaders of the brand ;))
Tricia – Welcome to my little blog!! Hope you’ll FB like it too, if you haven’t already.
most of the sms/dms around here are at this conference. I do, as @purple1 referred to, hope they bring this ‘message’ back to the stores….. they seem to be losing the whole original Sbux concept, bit by bit. I do my best to ‘keep the spirit alive’ but…that’s just me. I do have good partners and managers in my district, so, that helps.
what I do find interesting is the disappearance of quite a few food choices in recent weeks….. only 2 types of ‘petites:( and the ‘veggie’ egg and cheese sandwich (in many areas, not all but sadly for me, all around here, I really loved that sandwich!) also, every day when I go in there are fewer food items…not permanently maybe but sold out much sooner than previously. I don’t know if that is intentional (limited order #) or just a fluke but….. less food that I like, for sure…every day. (and not at a different time of day, etc) am wondering.
Denise R it is strange to me how your region seems to be losing some food that we still
Have – the veggie egg sandwich and I did see the other day the petites you like, the walnut one. If I can get them to you, I will try just contact me with info. HA- watch as soon as I say this I will not see them. But, let me know.
Very nice statements. It is good that there is a sort of conference for starbucks partners and that is really great. I think this will be fun for all partners in starbucks.
@Danyelle – Thanks for dropping by the blog. I hope you’ll “like” it too – See facebook page widget in right-hand column. I definitely think that store managers will come back from leadership with an ignited passion – There are well over 100,000 Starbucks partners – There would be no way to to have a leadership for all of them – that’s would be an entire city of partners! But I agree that Starbucks should always work on keeping everyone inspired!
@deniser – Starbucks now is still a beautiful thing. I know it doesn’t sound pleasant but so long as the partners have so much passion for what they do (and there are so many that do), and so long as there are some great coffee options (or espresso options for those that love espresso beverages), then aren’t we fine?
On Monday night, I was at an Olive Way coffee tasting. At the end of it, I talked to Tyler, who is a barista at a drive thru is south Seattle (into Burien). He works at a store that is a DT only! No cafe. He’s been a partner for just 10 months, and he’s just a barista. I was completely inspired listening to him. He LOVES Starbucks. He works so hard to make sure every customers’ experience is perfect – even in the drive thru. We got to talking about the re-usable cup, and he was talking about how he was encouraging his customers to use it. His eyes sparkled when he talked about his job. And there he is at the coffee event, because he wants to know more about coffee. I just know that there are passionate partners everywhere. Maybe they are more obvious in the PNW, but I don’t know – I think that would be a real disservice to say that to partners everywhere who love Starbucks, customers, and coffee. Think about the example of Brett in Denver who was very excited to have a Clover in Highlands Ranch, CO.
And there are partners who comment on this blog from all over the country who embody everything that Starbucks is about – The shift in Calif, Jocelyn. I’ve met her – She is so passionate. The TX shift who comments as TheCoffeeNinja now and then, and coffee master Jess from Olive Way.
Every large business is going to have a small percentage of grumblers. Hopefully they don’t get promoted, or stay long.
Maybe we need all the passionate partners to come out of the woodwork and say hello in this thread. 😉
@purple1: I was told the ‘walnut brown sugar tarts’ (and the hazelnut ones) have been discontinued altogether……meaning, not just regional. (as in, here) The veggie egg and cheese sandwich I was told was only d/cd in certain areas…which happens to include all around here..some 400+ stores. I can’t understand it…I mean, I knew sooner or later those petites I loved would likely disappear but I was HOPING not quite so soon. and really, in the stores around here…..quite an expanse actually, there’s less and less food. and I’ve asked, it’s not just that they’re always sold out when I get there. The above items are the only ones I know that were dc’d but the food order must be down, because the shelves are more and more bare. (food) I don’t know…… but I really do miss 🙁 the brown sugar tarts! not really a serious matter of course……
running out the door, more later. will e-you.
denise! I read a communication today that said that now we were in the new fiscal year that some of the food items that had been temporarily shut off (to save costs) were going to be turned back on. Your brown sugar tart is on the list, so hopefully your store will be able to order it again. 🙂 I’ve been waiting all day to come on and tell you about it….though I suppose your local store may have already done so.
@Michelle: THANX so much! I hope this is true for our store! I was in another store yesterday and they don’t know me well. I will ask at my regular place today! thanx again…… I really do hope they get them back. That’s the only treat I have really loved in years…and it’s so plain and simple, but good… to me anyway. Hoping we get it!
Denise we have back the walnut tarts if you cannot get them let me know will try to send to you.
@Purple1 and @Michelle: Yay!!!!!! I went into my store and they’re back!!!! just bought two this afternoon, altho I really don’t need them until tomorrow…the WALNUT BROWN SUGAR TARTS!!! It really had become quite void of a lot of foods…..I’m really glad this one is back! They seem to sustain me plus I love them! Thanx so much to both of you for your kindness and also alerting me! 🙂
Yea for @denise!
@Denise I totally thought of you when I noticed the brown sugar tarts at my Starbucks yesterday afternoon! 🙂
@Melody, @CD, and purple1 and Michelle: thanx so much for mentioning these tarts and thinking of me! I will definitely continue buying them daily, as I have done since they came out..especially in hope they do not REMOVE them again! ( as they did
along with quite a few other foods:(