A couple of months ago I talked about seeing Howard Behar, one of the key people in Starbucks’ success, speak at a business function. Despite his understated manner, I thought he was the best business speaker I’ve ever heard. I titled my blog, “The Wisdom and Humanity of Howard Behar.” My summary of why he was so good: “The strength of his presentation was his honestly, authenticity, values and wisdom.”
Subsequently, I’ve finished reading Howard’s book; It’s Not About the Coffee. Many of the themes are repeated and some of the stories, which was just fine with me. I recommend the book to you.
In the book’s Introduction, Howard presents his Ten Principles of Personal Leadership, which are:
- Know Who You Are: Wear One Hat.
- Know Why You’re Here: Do It Because It’s Right, Not Because It’s Right for Your Resume.
- Think Independently: The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Should Choose the Broom.
- Build Trust: Care, Like You Really Mean It.
- Listen for the Truth: The Walls Talk.
- Be Accountable: Only the Truth Sounds Like the Truth.
- Take Action: Think Like a Person of Action, and Act Like a Person of Thought.
- Face Challenge: We Are Human Beings First.
- Practice Leadership: The Big Noise and the Still, Small Voice.
- Dare To Dream: Say Yes, the Most Powerful Word in the World.
The rest of the book is ten chapters, one for each Principle. I took pretty extensive notes as I read the book but I’ll just make brief comments below about each chapter.
Know Who You Are: Wear One Hat. This is largely about finding your calling, what makes you feel most alive. More importantly, Behar counsels to be true to yourself and your values. It’s about integrity and honesty. He asks, “If there were no praise or criticism in the world, then who would you be?”
Know Why You’re Here: Do it Because It’s Right, Not Because It’s Right for Your Resume. Behar says the most important question he can ask someone is, “Why are you here?” He maintains that people don’t work on work, they work on dreams. They like to be part of something bigger than themselves. (This is similar to Daniel Pink’s assertions about Purpose in Drive.) He also comments on the importance of goal alignment between people and the company they work for.
Think Independently: The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Should Choose the Broom. Behar says he believes that everyone wants to achieve fulfillment in their work. I don’t agree. I think that would be nice but that many people, perhaps most, work because they need the money and that their job is not something they find fulfilling. Would they like to find fulfillment in their work? Maybe, but I’m not so sure.
Build Trust: Care, Like You Really Mean It. Behar says that an effective leader must sincerely care about people. There is plenty of room for cynicism here but I think he’s right.
Listen for the Truth: The Walls Talk. Of course, he doesn’t mean the walls literally talk, he means that collectively, staff will tell you the truth if you ask and if you really listen. Besides what they say, listen for what they can’t say. Think about that.
Be Accountable: Only the Truth Sounds Like the Truth. Over and over again, Howard Behar comes back to the power of telling the truth. I couldn’t agree more. As I get older, I find that telling the truth is almost always the right thing to do. The truth is eventually going to come out. Facing up to the truth can be painful sometimes but it is the right thing to do.
Take Action: Think Like a Person of Action, and Act Like a Person of Thought. Interestingly, this is Howard Behar’s personal motto. I wish I had thought of it! Isn’t it great? The chapter is illustrated with examples of things that failed at first at Starbucks but eventually became successful through persistence and innovation.
Face Challenge: We Are Human Beings First. Behar says you can think of the human condition as the three Cs: challenges, crises and catastrophes. Hm, that’s not the way I see it. And this man is an optimist.
Practice Leadership: The Big Noise and the Still, Small Voice. The point of this chapter is leadership style. He maintains that leaders who make a lot of noise and attract attention to themselves are not good leaders. Better the thoughtful leader who listens more than speaks.
Dare To Dream: Say Yes, the Most Powerful Word in the World. Behar says there are a million reasons to say no, but we need just one reason to say yes. Try saying yes. It can change the world. Saying yes takes both a belief in yourself and a leap of faith. Think of it as a leadership skill like all the others. It takes just as much practice, if not more.
So there you have it. The book is well written and easy to read. I don’t agree with everything in the book but I agree with most. In any case, Behar is thought provoking and it is worth considering his point of view.
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