Quotes from Howard Schultz

Sporcati le mani. Ascolta e comunica con trasparenza. Racconta la tua storia e non lasciare che siano gli altri a definirti. Trai ispirazione da chi ha esperienze reali da raccontarti. Lega le loro storie ai tuoi valori. Fai scelte dure: è l'azione quella che conta. Cerca la verità e le lezioni in ogni errore. Sii responsabile per quello che vedi, ascolti e fai.

Ihave come to believe that people must not stand by in the face of human distress and broken systems. And if these two predicaments are intertwined—if human suffering is the result of others abdicating their responsibilities, or showing a lack of respect for another person—it becomes what can only be described as an injustice.

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I don't say that all people have equal talent," Kennedy told his crowd of supporters. "But what I do say is that everyone should have their chance to develop their talent equally.

No business can do well for its shareholders without first doing well by all the people its business touches.

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope," Kennedy famously said in a speech delivered in South Africa in 1966 to condemn apartheid as well as the discrimination in his own country. "Crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

But I do think effective leaders share two intertwined attributes: an unbridled level of confidence about where their organizations are headed, and the ability to bring people along.

The faults of history cannot be undone, but if we confront them we can begin to learn, change the present, and create a better future. Discussion is a good place to start, but talking can never be enough.

A founder's perspective is unique. Entrepreneurs are builders, and the lens through which I view Starbucks and the marketplace is somewhat different from what it would be if I were a professionally schooled manager.

enough. Standing for an ovation at a baseball game is not enough. To do right by our veterans—to recognize their value to our society and fulfill our solemn obligation to those who volunteered to protect the rest of us—we first have to understand what they have accomplished and what they offer our nation.

El trabajo debe ser algo personal. En todos los casos. No sólo para el artista y el empresario. El trabajo debe tener significado para el contable, el obrero de la construcción, el técnico, el director y el administrativo.

El coste de perder a vuestros clientes más fieles para luego tener que intentar recuperarlos en un momento económico tan bajo como el presente será mucho mayor que el coste de invertir en ellos e intentar no perderlos».

The merchant's success depends on his or her ability to tell a story. What people see or hear or smell or do when they enter a space guides their feelings, enticing them to celebrate whatever the seller has to offer.

To see my world not as it was, but as it could be. This became a lifetime habit. And in some ways, that's the story I've tried to tell in this book: how we can all reimagine a better future by learning from the past with as much clarity and wisdom as we can muster, and by summoning the will and doing the work to bring that future into being. This has been my life's journey.

For me, the idea of a "third place" is not just something that exists between four walls. It is a mind-set. A way to exist in the world. That's why I set out to build a profitable business that also expressed a core ethos: that people of all kinds can come together and uplift one another.

Starbucks was under attack, mostly from within.

If you're really honest with yourself, as I have tried to be with myself, along the way in building the company, there has been something we have lost. And it's no one's fault and there's no punishment or blame. Weare what we are—but the question is, What are we going to do about it and how are we going to fix it?

When you're surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.

Starbucks is intensely personal. Aside from brushing their teeth, what else do so many people do habitually every day? They drink coffee. Same time. Same store. Same beverage. There's a special relationship millions have developed with our brand, our people, our stores, and our coffee. Preserving that relationship is an honorable but enormous responsibility.

I had written hundreds of memos during my 26 years at the company, and all had shared a common thread. They were about self-examination in the pursuit of excellence, and a willingness not to embrace the status quo. This is a cornerstone of my leadership philosophy.

When we went to automatic espresso machines, we solved a major problem in terms of speed of service and efficiency. At the same time, we overlooked the fact that we would remove much of the romance and theater that was in play. .

Kiss my ass, ya shiksa!

Speaking out is a necessary beginning, but not the same as real change.

Just because others cannot see your vision doesn't mean that vision isn't achievable.