In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance By Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace

RESPECT

Howard Behar shared his recollection of what I consider to be the iconic story of mutual respect and the example set by Howard Schultz at Starbucks. The story itself dates back to their early days of the company, and I want to tell it in Howard Behar’s own words to keep it in context and provide the full effect:

It was 1989, and I was the new VP of operations at Starbucks, and Howard [Schultz] was the 34-years-old CEO. One day I heard from a store manager—a young guy named Jim who had been with Starbucks nearly from the beginning. He ...