It's Not About the Coffee, by Howard Behar

I can always tell when a book really speaks to me because I find myself irresistibly compelled to break out my highlighter and slather the pages in line after line of bright yellow. It's Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks by Howard Behar, former President of Starbucks International and Starbucks North America, is one of those books.

I must confess, I'm not that much of a leadership lit junkie; the leadership-specific books on my shelf are few and far between. But I was drawn to this one because so much of what he talks about fits hand in glove with the ideas I talk about here in this blog.

Many of the ideas Behar discusses are just as applicable in our own personal career journeys as they are in a leadership context. For example, in his view (as in mine), it all starts with a solid, fundamental understanding of who we are ourselves. He describes it as one-hat living and one-hat leadership...

Wearing one hat is the epitome of personal leadership. It is the starting point - and the end point - of the lifelong process of discovering who you are and what you stand for. When you wear one hat:

• You know what makes you feel most deeply alive.
• You feel good about yourself.
• You have no need for secrets or pretending or posturing.
• You can lead yourself and others from a place of clarity and integrity.

Wearing one hat is essentially having a deep understanding of who you are, what energizes and inspires you, and what you value - and then acting in alignment with that. Behar goes on to say, "One-hat leadership, like one-hat living, is synoymous with honesty, clarity, passion, and a sense of being truly engaged and alive." (Sound familiar?)

"Know who you are" (i.e., wear one hat) is the first of ten principles laid out in the book. Those principles are:

1. Know who you are
2. Know why you're here
3. Think independently
4. Build trust
5. Listen for the truth
6. Be accountable
7. Take action
8. Face challenge
9. Practice leadership
10. Dare to dream

You won't find any magic epiphanies about successful leadership (or a successful life) in this book. Everything he talks about is simple and straightforward - yet often contrary to the approach we actually end up taking. 

Behar's experience and success gives weight to his message and the human element woven through it. Though straightforward, it's a message we need to hear again and again, in as many ways as possible. 

--

Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst ^TM

Comments

[Jeremy]

I was a DM for SBUX for many years, and Howard Behar was one of the greatest leaders in the company. He had an identifiable personality and great ability to connect with others. Glad to see his book getting exposure.

[Curt Rosengren]

Jeremy, I have a friend who worked for him, and she told me recently, "People didn't follow Howard because he had authority - they followed him because they loved him."

[Marlene Affeld]

Enjoy your site - wonderful article. Look forward to new posts.