It's Not about the Coffee

I had the privilege of attending the 6th Creating Great Places to Work Conference last week.  The theme of the conference was "Leadership: Engaging Hearts and Minds".  I would like to share and reflect on one of the plenary sessions by Howard Behar, who was a senior executive at Starbucks for many years.  He was instrumental in establishing the Starbucks culture which stresses on the importance of people over profits.  If you think of your staff as people (instead of labour costs), they will achieve results beyond what is thought possible.  Starbucks is not in the Coffee business serving people.  Rather it's in the People business serving coffee.


There were 10 principles of personal leadership but he shared only three:
1. Wear One Hat: our success is related to our clarity and honesty about who we are, who we're not. This relates to our life's goals and purposes; if they're aligned with the organisation, we can definitely go far to accomplish great things.  In the spiritual context, when we see how our gifts and talents can contribute to the overall church mission, we would dedicate our time and energy to fulfill it. What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind?
2. The person who sweeps the floor should choose the broom: People are not "assets", they're human beings who have the capacity to achieve results beyond what is thought possible.  People who are directly connected with their work know what is needed to improve productivity.  Sometimes, there may be a need to go against the tide of learned opinions.  Listening to suggestions at the ground level is vital to the success of any organisation.  Are there things that can be done differently in the various church ministries that would lead to growth?
3. Care, like you really mean it: It is not a sign of weakness but strength.  Without trust and caring, we'll never know what could have been possible.  It is also important to accept accountability when things go wrong.   When you demonstrate care and concern for others, it would return back to you in untold ways.  Eccl 11:1 says to cast your bread on the waters and you'll find it after many days.  The Loved to Love project of our church is a good way to demonstrate care and concern for others in our community.  Is there anyone in our circle of influence that we can show love?


May God use each one of us, wherever we're placed, to be a shining light for Him. Ultimately, it's people who are precious to the Lord and we should treat them as such, despite all their sins and blemishes.