It's Not About The Coffee - Book Review

I often tell people that my favorite thing about having a blog is the people that I meet and the companies that I learn about because someone found me via my blog. This book is one of those cases. Christine Maddalena of the Penguin Group found my blog and noticed my passion for business books. She offered to send me a copy of It's Not About The Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks by Howard Behar. I'm grateful that she did because while I didn't have this book on my reading list, I very much enjoyed it and identified with the principles that Howard outlines.

In his book, Howard Behar, the former President of Starbucks International, outlines his ten principles of personal leadership. Howard's plain spoken, down-to-earth style, demonstrates that he truly believes in and lives the principles he outlines in his book. Here is a brief overview those principles:

1. Wear One Hat - the importance of knowing who you are and just as importantly, who you are not.
2. Do It Because It's Right, Not Because It's Right for Your Resume - the familiar do things for the right reasons theme.
3. The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Should Choose the Broom - Howard addresses one of my pet peeves about management - people are not assets, they are human beings. Do give them rules, give them room for independent thinking.
4. Care Like You Really Mean It - it's the only way to build trust
5. The Walls Talk - it takes time and effort to listen to what is being said and not said.
6. Only The Truth Sounds Like The Truth - the importance of responsibility and accountability
7. Think Like a Person of Action, and Act Like a Person of Thought - on the importance of finding the balance between passion, purpose, persistence, and action.
8. We Are Human Beings First - You will face challenges, remember to put people first.
9. The Big Nose and the Still, Small Voice - probably my favorite part of the book. Our culture is impressed with the big, noisy, leader. Remember that leaders are just humans, and the quiet, thoughtful leader can be every bit as effective as the rock star.
10. Say Yes, the Most Powerful Word in the World - learn to say "yes" and open the door to big dreams and goals.

It's not about the coffee, it's about relationships. No matter what business you are in, I imagine you can say the same thing - it's all about relationships. Like any good book on principles, the ones outlined above will not only help you be successful in business but also in life.

Howard appears to be a collector of quotes - here is one of my favorites from the book:

"If there were no praise or criticism in the world, then who would you be? When you can answer that question, your are 'there'."

I encourage you to pick up a copy of Howard's book and apply these principles to achieve your goals and dreams for your company.