Books: Onward – September 2011
Soulful Schultz Moves Onward
By Rebecca Patt, Vice President of Development, Dick Wray Executive Search
In Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul, Howard Schultz tells the remarkable story of how even mermaids can crash into rocks and his own near-mythic efforts to set the course right again.
The book is a must-read for anyone in the restaurant or retail business and one of the best business books of the era.
In the compulsively page-turning narrative of Onward, Schultz tells his in-depth account of reclaiming the Starbucks CEO role in January 2008 and what drove him to do so.
Schultz gives the laundry list of vulnerabilities that had become dangerously systemic behind the shiny green façade of the previously unstoppable coffee juggernaut by 2007. The loss of the romance of the brand, outdated back end systems, sloppy real estate choices, disengaged baristas, and the pervasive odor of cooked cheese are among the issues he cites for Starbucks’ downward slide of results and erosion of quality.
In the enormously pressure-filled situation that quickly worsened, fueled by issues on Wall Street and the national economy, Schultz steps back in to become every inch the visionary leader of Starbucks, charting a fast turnaround and a successful future course.
Schultz makes incredibly tough decisions to shake up the executive team, close stores, and lay off employees. He rallies the troops and creates a five-point plan to save the business, dubbed “The Transformation Agenda.” His plan, by many indicators, is succeeding.
Schultz keeps the “soul” part of the business at the forefront in this raw account. He does more than open the kimono to Starbucks; he spills his guts on every page. We learn about the challenges and the lows he faces and also about the dynamic vision, innovation, and culture he has forged into Starbucks.
In Onward, Schultz describes his innate calling to create an extraordinary retail enterprise. He was able to heed the S.O.S. cry from Starbucks with such urgency and care because his own soul and legacy is at stake. He proclaims in the first 10 pages of Onward that it is not so much a business book as a love story.
In related news, Schultz recently showed his leadership abilities yet again, in a national context, as he stepped out with a petition to ban political campaign contributions and the hosting of a “telephone town hall” discussion on September 6 to help end partisan gridlock and accelerate job creation. Onward, Howard.
Rebecca Patt specializes in executive recruitment for the restaurant and food service industry, and she’s all over LinkedIn like hot butter on breakfast toast. To connect or reconnect with her on LinkedIn, click here, and include a brief note listing five different reasons for how awesome you are. She can be reached directly at Rebecca.patt@wraysearch.com... and feel free to include that list.