Starbucks links their partner’s efforts directly to the success of the whole business enterprise: if the partners win, Starbucks wins. This eliminates the normal zero-sum game and creates a win-win scenario because the more profitable Starbucks is, the more profitable the individual partner at the store level is as well. Not every company can reward employees in the same fashion or scale as Starbuck’s. What we can do is treat our teams with enough care and concern to inspire passion and creativity.
Many companies have shied away from talking with their employees about profit, however, Starbucks takes a completely different approach. “Starbucks leadership has done an exceptional job of both linking a partner’s financial gain to Starbuck’s profit and helping partners understand that profit is the lifeblood of a business.” Michelli