Ricardo Arias-Nath’s Post

Consider doing a personal inventory of how you stack up against the Starbucks Experience principles. Consider the following questions: How consistently welcoming am I? What details do I tend to overlook? Where can I offer more surprise or delight in my workplace? In what situations do I embrace resistance, and when do I run from it? What mark am I leaving at work, at home, and in my community? The Starbucks Experience by Joseph A. Michelli

What CEOs and Boards of Directors can learn from Starbucks is the importance of training as a barista. There's no more effective way to grasp the inner workings of the business than immersing oneself in the front lines. Messages often gets distorted when information travels through multiple layers, from employee to supervisor to manager to director to VP to CFO to CEO. Narasimhan's experience making lattes provided firsthand insight into ordering, staffing, inventory, and layout challenges. As a New Yorker, I always take visitors to the StarbucksReserve Store and share the story of Aaron Koransky, Head of the Reserve brand, who also trained as a barista upon his promotion. This is a best practice for other companies to learn from. #retail #bestpractices #boardofdirectors #ceo

Every time you walk through the doors of a Starbucks, you may have found yourself intrigued by the sight of baristas in their distinct aprons, some in green aprons and others in black aprons (with the occasional festive red apron during the holiday season). Let me take you on an inspiring journey through the story behind these aprons. As each partner begins their Starbucks adventure, they proudly don the iconic green apron, symbolizing a fresh start on this remarkable journey. (At Starbucks, we view all employees as partners, united in a shared commitment to excellence.) What makes this journey truly extraordinary is the opportunity for partners to immerse themselves in the world of coffee, delving into its origins, unique characteristics, and the art of roasting beans to perfection. They also get to discover the captivating stories behind each package of Starbucks coffee that reaches our customers, and gain insights into Starbucks' unwavering commitment to ethical sourcing through C.A.F.E. Practice. When partners successfully complete the demanding 5 certifications from Starbucks Coffee Academy (including 100, 200, 300x3), recognized by Starbucks Global & ASU (Arizona State University), and emerge victorious from a challenging and highly competitive contest (with a notably low pass rate), they are bestowed with the coveted black apron. This black apron not only signifies a profound understanding of coffee but also represents a deep sense of pride, an unwavering passion, and a wholehearted commitment. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in the world of coffee, where partners continue their journey, spreading inspiration and enthusiasm to those who hold a special place in their hearts for these extraordinary coffee beans. #starbuckscoffee #starbucks

Did you know that Howard Schultz once worked as a barista at Starbucks for two years without a salary? His pregnant wife supported them during this time. Talk about dedication! Some fascinating insights about Starbucks' journey: Originally a coffee bean wholesaler, Starbucks transformed after Schultz's trip to Italy in the early '80s. He was inspired by the human connection in Italian coffee bars. When Schultz bought the company in 1987 for $3.8M, it had just 6 stores and a roastery. Yet it boasted an 80% gross margin, with loyal customers visiting up to 18 times monthly. In 1991, a year before the IPO, Starbucks offered 14% of the company to ALL employees. Those $6 shares? Now worth 800 times more (accounting for splits). Fun fact: No one knows who started the tradition of writing customers' names on cups. From beans to a global phenomenon, Starbucks' story is a testament to vision, perseverance, and valuing both customers and employees.

Did you know that all Starbucks employees start their shifts with a coffee tasting? I'm no expert at this, but I believe that the idea of "eat your own dog food" is one that a lot of "successful" companies follow. It means that employees themselves use their products, provide feedback and help constantly improve their offerings. This is such a simple and small way to ensure that a coffee culture permeates through everyone who works at Starbucks. So smart and yet so simple. The best "strategic" steps we take are sometimes the simplest. #customerstrategy #employeeengagement #employeeadvocacy #starbucks

Howard Schultz is now out and new CEO Laxman Narasimhan is taking over the challenging role. He's walking into record sales but increased frustration with Strarbuck's frontline teams resulting in over 360 cafes opting in to the Starbucks Workers United. There is a lot other restaurant owners of any size can learn from Starbucks woes. LACK OF COMMUNICATION The teams in Starbucks stores feel they have no voice. This is a problem because without a direct line of communication with the people that are tasked to do the actual work, leadership makes decisions in a vacuum that can play out poorly in real life. UNREALISTIC MENU ROLLOUTS Here again Starbucks development teams pushed out new items that were difficult to execute in the busy stores. Baristas were not able to keep up with the speed of the line because they were bogged down by the new operationally heavy items. Leadership has to test new items not just for affinity and menu fit but operationally. SPOTTY SUPPLY Nothing frustrates a store team more than when they're being told to deliver on sales goals but can't get enough supply. It's the leadership's job to make sure that there is plenty of supply to meet their goals. Otherwise, the goals need to change. TOP DOWN MANAGEMENT The article calls out that the stores were getting an inordinate amount of emails. This may seem like a small thing but when you consider that almost every email a store gets requires some sort of action you can see how overwhelming that could be for team that is supposed to be in the store helping guests not in the office answering emails. Leadership here again has to organize on it's end and make sure that what they're communicating is prioritized. For big organizations this can mean a steering committee that decides what rolls out to the stores and what doesn't. https://lnkd.in/gxzeJJ2n

For all of the coffee lovers out there, Starbucks is making some drastic changes to their operations. While Starbucks and Sterile Processing may seem vastly different, the article below got me thinking about how SPD departments could learn from these efficiency changes even though it’s a different industry. Peak Demand Management: Hospitals and Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) face similar challenges with peak demand. Starbucks gets the commuter morning rush and SPD gets waves of trays in decontamination all at once when the first cases end. Starbucks created the new position of “Peak Player Caller" whose sole job is to identify and clear bottlenecks during the peak times. Frontline Feedback: Like Starbucks, healthcare facilities benefit greatly from frontline staff feedback. It's encouraging to see a major company prioritize input from those directly involved in operations. Most of the changes(ex. prioritizing cold drinks vs. hot drinks) Starbucks implemented came from the teammates in the field. I think this concept should apply to system leaders getting feedback from SPD professionals before making large changes. Staff Retention: Lastly, Starbucks' focus on simplifying tasks to reduce stress and improve retention among baristas can be mirrored to improve staff retention for SPD teams. Less daily stress = longer tenure for most workers regardless of industry. https://lnkd.in/gmfs5c9U

Sipping Knowledge: Studying Organizational Behavior at Starbucks! ☕📖 At Starbucks, surrounded by the aroma of freshly roasted beans and the hum of collaborative energy, I'm exploring the topic: Theories of Learning - Wherein we understand the process by which we develop patterns of behavior. #StudyAtStarbucks #IBSMumbai #OrganizationalBehavior #CoffeeCulture #Aesthetic #Starbucks

Recently, I stopped by a few coffee shop locations and asked employees about the performance of their shops. Starbucks employees at multiple locations unanimously observed that it had been slower lately, and with Tallahassee still being a college town, some attributed it to the summer season. Subsequently, I decided to check with a few other independent locations, such as Ground Ops, which opened just eight months ago, and they informed me that their business had never been better. It is intriguing to witness the real-time fallout of Starbucks, giving rise to independent coffee shops once again. I noticed that Starbucks' YoY revenue dynamic is negative, and now I understand that this is not a coincidence. The standard quarterly thinking tends to commoditize any business, even coffee, and eventually commoditizes the margins as well. To me, it serves as a reminder about the importance of being customer-obsessed. Complacency and quarterly thinking can swiftly kill any company. It's time to get back to work and wow my customers!