Carmine Gallo , CONTRIBUTOR
I write about success, leadership and communication.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Howard SchultzYou cannot inspire unless you’re inspired yourself. Passion is everything and, as a leader, you must share that passion at every opportunity. I owe Starbucks SBUX +0.07% chairman and CEO Howard Schultz a lot of credit for this insight. He changed the way I look at communication and, as a result, the way I approach the topic of inspirational leadership.
I wrote my first book on communication and leadership about ten years ago. Howard Schultz was my first interview. In a two-hour phone conversation Schultz used the word “passion” dozens of times. I had an epiphany when I reviewed the transcript. Not once had he used “passion” and “coffee” in the same sentence. You see, Schultz likes coffee, but he’s passionate about “building a company that treats people with dignity and respect.” He said coffee is what Starbucks makes as a product, “but that’s not the business we’re in.” Ten years after my interview Schultz is still communicating the same message and using guiding principles to inspire his employees and excite his customers.
I was reminded of my interview when Oprah featured Schultz on this recent episode of her show, Super Soul Sunday. Oprah picked up on the same theme I had noticed—Schultz’ passion is not the coffee. Oprah asked Schultz if he was passionate about coffee or “a desire to serve?” Schultz the storyteller told Oprah about his father who struggled with a series of blue-collar jobs, never able to find meaning or fulfillment in his work. The breaking point happened when his father was injured on the job, with no health insurance or worker’s comp. It left a lifelong impression on Schultz.
“It was not the calling of coffee, but the calling to try to building a company that my father never got a chance to work for,” said Schultz. “When we began Starbucks what I wanted to try to do was to create a set of values, guiding principles, and culture.” According to Schultz, Starbucks was the first company in America to offer comprehensive health insurance and ownership in the form of stock options to all of its employees, including part-time workers.
Schultz’ consistent message quite likely kept the company from falling apart. Schultz explained to Oprah that in 2007, when he was serving as Chairman (not CEO), sales were plummeting and the stock was sinking. “We had lost our way,” he said. “The pursuit of profit became our reason for being and that’s not the reason that Starbucks is in business…we’re in the business of exceeding the expectations of our customers.” He returned as the CEO because of “love” and “passion” (there’s that word again). Schultz called together 10,000 of Starbuck’s managers to a four-day conference in New Orleans where he acted as communicator-in-chief. His goal? To “inspire” and to challenge employees to be personally accountable for everything at their stores. Ten thousand people left New Orleans with “a tidal wave of energy.” Inspiring communicators have that effect on people. Schultz said that in the last two years, Starbucks has seen record revenue, record profits and a record stock price.
The lesson? What you do is different than what you’re passionate about. Your product is not your story. Your story is how the product improves the lives of your employees and your customers. When I meet a leader for the first time I always refer to my interview with Schultz. “I’m not as interested in what you make as I am in what you’re passionate about. What business are you really in?”