Onward & the Secret to Success

Right now I’m reading Howard Schultz’s Onward.  As you know Schultz is the chairman and CEO of Starbucks. When I first picked up book, I was excited to read his secrets and be inspired.  I should note here that I am Business Psychology grad student plotting to take over the world, and that I frequent Starbucks only when in the company of my fiancée.  So, on our fourth trip in 42 hours (no kidding, he’s an addict), I finally succumbed to buying the crisp white book with the brown and wintergreen logo on it—notice I didn’t go for the coffee.

I was expecting some formula for business success, something that would provide me success parallel to that of the recipe of the famous Pike Place roast, but I found something very different.

At first, I was bored of his dull drone of how much he loved coffee and how his life’s goal was to brew the perfect cup of coffee, and how every time a customer walked in the door they should smell that bitter sweet aroma of a dark roast.  Really?  Are you kidding? It’s only a cup of coffee!  Obviously, I’ve never jumped aboard the heroine train that is Starbucks. That aside, as I read on about how seriously he took the Starbuck’s mission, values, and even the people who serve the coffee, I actually got the impression that maybe he was really interested in coffee as an experience.

Then I had a flashback of watching a lame movie with heartstring tugging music on VHS during an Authentic Leadership lecture. He leads with his heart and meets the core requirements as defined by Bill George: Schultz understands his purpose, he has a strong value system that leads him towards the right thing to do, he has a trusting relationship with this stakeholders and employees, he has fanatical self-discipline, and he’s passionate about his mission.

Even though I haven’t learned the specific recipe for success, Onward has driven home the belief that I need to love what I do in order to be successful.

The 4 Lessons to Business Success I’ve learned from Schultz so far:

1. Love what you do.
2. Stay true to your mission.
3. Take personal accountability.
4. Treat your people right.

This book leads me to be introspective and ask myself, “do I love what I do, or am I at least working towards doing something I love?” I am fortunate to have landed a great internship where I’m exposed to the consulting world and I get to be creative with my contribution.

What about you? Do you love what you do? Do you feel inspired to work? What can you do to move towards doing something you love?

You can buy the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Onward-Starbucks-Fought-without-Losing/dp/1605292885