Howard Behar: Leading Starbucks From 28 Stores To A Coffee Giant

This week Andrew talks with Howard Behar, the retired president of Starbucks North America and the founding president of Starbucks International. Howard joined Starbucks in 1989 when the company had just 28 stores. Over the next 21 years under Howard’s leadership, Starbucks grew to more than 15,000 stores across 5 continents. Howard shares a behind the scenes look at how Starbucks became the iconic brand it is today. At the center of it all is a culture built around people, authenticity, and servant leadership. This conversation is filled with practical lessons about organizational culture, how to help others reach their full potential, and the power of putting people first. Show Highlights:1:33 - Getting connected with Starbucks in 19891:45 - Meeting Howard Schultz for the first time2:30 - Working for free before deciding to join the company3:14 - Evaluating the Starbucks culture4:55 - Creating a people-centric mindset5:40 - Reinforcing positive behavior6:02 - Helping people grow through mistakes7:01 - Challenges scaling Starbucks8:37 - Interviewing for human skills9:42 - Onboarding new team members successfully11:58 - Making the organization comfortable with mistakes13:36 - Leading by example14:40 - Creating unique, joyful customer experiences16:28 - Howard Schultze as an entrepreneur and leader17:48 - How Starbucks took care of an employee with AIDS21:30 - Starbucks leadership's "mission review" process23:08 - Being vulnerable and transparent25:34 - Impact of COVID on StarbucksBe sure to subscribe & leave a review for the show in your favorite podcast app.Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewhmoses and IG: @AndrewMoses123Please tell your friends about Everybody Pulls The Tarp on social media and be sure to tag Andrew in your posts.Sign up for e-mails to keep up with the podcast at everybodypullsthetarp.com/newsletter!