#25: Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO—How to Stay Agile and Innovative

Today’s guest is Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks. Do you ever feel like your organization is incredibly complex? Like it takes forever to get anything done? It’s a pretty common issue, especially if you lead in a big or fast-growing organization. Now, obviously, Starbucks is a massive company. They operate in 82 countries with 383,000 employees. But they’re still able to innovate and adapt quickly. In fact, they embrace the mantra that they can go from idea to action in 100 days.  This works because Kevin uses something called distributed leadership – where employees are empowered to make decisions themselves but also given common values and strategies to guide them. Kevin tells us how we can use the same principles to stop getting bogged down and instead unleash some really great energy and innovation in our own organizations.  You’ll also learn: The unforgettable image that influences every decision Kevin makes Two key components of building trust in relationships – and how to incorporate them at work How to transition a business from founder-led to founder-inspired Why empowering your employees isn’t enough (and what you need to add to it) The 3 things you cannot afford NOT to do in a crisis Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go  Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.