Boston Globe, April 24, 2011, Bray, Hiawatha
Howard Schultz retired from Starbucks in 2000and returned again in 2008 when Starbucks was suffering. Schultz attributes his love for Starbucks as the reason to return as CEO. “I have a deep love for the company, and as a results of that, a responsibility that I feel to the 200,000 people and their families who are relying on as leaders to preserve and enhance Starbucks.”
Upon his return in 2008, Schlutz believed that the leaders of Starbucks had covered up mistakes that were company inflicted. His immediate actions were:
- Schultz apologized to the enitre company for letting them down
- Arranged a company meeting (at the height of the recession, when companies were not traveling) where 1 Store Manager from every branch attended (10,000 people in total)
- Before the meeting, everyone completed 5 hours of community service for people in the Ninth Ward, who had been left behind after Hurricane Katrina. A total of 50,000 hours of volunteerism was completed
The purpose of volunterring was “about rekindling and reminding people about the values of our company and the core purpose, which is not always about making money“.
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