Green Apron Stories: Happy New Year!

Good morning... What can I get for you?

Today is the last day of 2007... Lucky for us, not only do I plan to do some Starbucks New Years resolutions, but also to give Howard Behar's new book a small plug.

You might remember the of Behar post a few days back. Well, the man has gone and written a book... and you should read it in 2008. It'll give you some perspective on what made the company so great just a few years ago. This might be the lift the company needs to inspire leadership to make a change in their attitudes and actions. A good portion of the proceeds go to the CUP fund which helps partners in need.

So... on to the Starbucks resolutions...

Just make Wi-Fi free. People will like you better. In fact, they'll love you. Just do it. Wi-Fi is a cost of doing business and it's the right thing to do. Don't bother worrying about freeloaders who might poach free internet access. It's one of the biggest things you can do in 2008 to increase transactions. Again... just make it free, it's cheap positive press.
Continue with the ads... in fact, start posting your ads on your YouTube page. You have all of that coffee related media as well... post your Farmer Stories on your channel as well. Customers and your partners will love you for it. It's good stuff that will go far with people and it will cost you next to nothing. You already have the media lab down on the 3rd floor with some great equipment. Besides, it'll give Matt Murray something good to do.
Develop a Starbucks blog... sorry, just enact the one you already have (I believe there are even some pre-approved stories) Start communicating with your partners... not through the Siren's Tale or the Siren's Eye or the Siren's Behind... use the media that partners like to use. Make it fun... make it real... make it Starbucks. Have the leaders create some stories for it. Have Howard share some days. Add a forum to it... In fact, you're welcome to have greenapronstories.com and greenapronbook.com... for free. It would be my gift to you... seriously, it's time.
Revamp the Bean Stock program... It's a different world for Starbucks and your partners are coming from a different generation... make their rewards more relevant to them. Tie it to performance... inspire them to show you how good they are... and reward them appropriately.
Focus on making coffee great again. You have a good product... it doesn't need any fancy marketing. Case in point... people need it... like they need gasoline... ever see Shell or Texaco do a commercial?
Fix the training function. Organize it under one umbrella for Pete's sake. There's no reason that all of those disparate, uneducated guesses at coming up with training projects should continue. Training is way too important for the company. Organize it under one capable, yes capable, leader and sit down to develop a long term calendar and list of training priorities. Put a real needs assessment process in place and add a few resources to help develop and tidy up how training gets done at Starbucks. Again, make sure to put a capable leader in charge... who is also practical... not the same book smart, disconnected fella they have now... enough good people have left because of his "leadership".
Chuck the chaff in the SSC. There are too many middle management who don't produce anything. Flatten the organization a bit and put some "doers" in place and get stuff done.
Update the store's computer systems. Give them the tools they need to do the job. Finish the Manager's Dashboard project and make it available to all stores. Get it in place. And while you're at it... give them an internet portal and put some internet usage policies in place for them. It's 2008, it is time.
Get food back to where it needs to be... affordable and coffee related. Take our Italian brothers as the example. Make the food hand held... Call it iFood if you want. Just make it short, sweet, affordable and fresh... and make it easy to merchandise for partners.
Lastly... start off the year by having leadership be vulnerable with the partners. Have them own up to their shortcomings and communicate what THEY'RE going to do to start fixing it. Then have them listen... After all, as Behar once said... "Where we have a problem, we have a problem leader."