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Dear Friends,
At a time of so much tumult and uncertainty in our society, when a flood of disinformation causes us to question what is real, when institutions we have held dear seem to be crumbling, when our trust in each other is fracturing, there is an even greater role and responsibility for our nation's leaders to remain true to their core values. The organizations that endure—and thrive in—the disruption of today and tomorrow will be those that are not just nimble and innovative, but those that embrace their core purpose and reason for being.
This belief led me to write the following letter earlier this month to the board of directors and the executive leadership team at Starbucks, the company that I had the honor of leading for more than 40 years.
Respectfully,
Howard
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The Soul of a Brand - February 7, 2024
To the Leadership Team and the Board:
You have to think long and hard to come up with a list of companies and brands who have achieved the rare place in the pantheon of business of building an enduring brand whose very foundation is its soul.
To begin with, one needs to articulate and understand the meaning and essence of soul as it relates to both the culture of a company and its external relationship with the marketplace and its customers.
The soul of a brand is an intangible, but yet you know it when you see it, and so endearing when you feel and experience it. There’s no textbook or guidelines to follow to build a company and a brand with soul. It’s an amalgamation, a tapestry of a number of singular events and deposits over many years in the reservoir of the company’s core purpose and reason for being, reinforcing the foundational values and never succumbing to economic pressures and market dynamics that would undermine its very existence.
It’s the integrity and standards of excellence of a company’s values and culture that must stand the test of time, while recognizing its innate responsibility to all those (none more important than its people) who are relying on its well-being, while paying homage to its history, tradition, and the many rituals that have defined it.
Soul as described by Webster is:
a) the moral and emotional nature of human beings
b) the quality that arouses emotion and sentiment
c) spiritual or moral force
Webster did not anticipate the necessity to define soul in business terms for the very reason I am addressing it. It rarely exists and it’s almost impossible to define. Yet, so very valuable in terms of the equity of a brand and the currency of trust among its many constituents.
It doesn’t emerge from the company’s strategy or tactical execution. It’s born out of love, of passion, and the responsibility of its leaders to simply do the right things.
It’s in the hearts and minds of the thousands who wear the cloth of the company, “the green apron,” and the millions of customers who come into our stores each day.
It can’t be bottled, nor packaged. It can only be honored and nurtured.
I would argue that Starbucks along with a select few built a company and a brand with a soul. It’s given the company the unique ability to operate and succeed all over the world because what it has to offer has universal appeal and acceptance. It’s not transactional, it’s not contrived, it’s authentic and it’s experiential. It creates (in a world of pretenders) a sense of belonging with its people and a sense of community and humanity with its customers.
It’s nurturing not by intent, but by its very nature.
From the outside looking in, I believe Starbucks finds itself (in its storied history) at a crossroads, at an inflection point. Something we’ve experienced before and something most companies naturally go through. It shouldn’t be alarming or unnerving.
It’s the natural order of things, and it’s an opportunity.
An opportunity for a reset, for self-renewal and re-invention. However, for the company to appropriately respond to the pressures of a very difficult operating environment, increased competition, and a world undone, “the center” must hold.
What’s “the center,” you ask? The soul of the company and the soul of the brand is “the center.” It must be nurtured, protected and preserved.
We are a company of five plus decades of history and storytelling. From eleven stores and a hundred employees (not yet partners) in 1987, to thirty-seven thousand stores and five hundred thousand partners today. From Pike Place to Mumbai and everywhere in between the soul of the company is on display and the center has held.
If you have trouble understanding it, feeling it, or at times lose sight of it, I suggest you go to Pike Place and stand in the corner and take in fifty years of sharing our love of coffee and community with customers who travel from all over the world to touch and be part of the mantle of history. The soul of the company lives within the walls of the store, the floorboards, the countertops, the hearts and minds of our partners, and the ever present aroma of our coffee that will grab you by your heartstrings and not let go as you stand on the shoulders of the many who have come before you.
In a world seemingly on fire, steeped in disinformation and so much hate, in which people are so disconnected from each other, Starbucks and the soul of the brand and its place in society and culture plays a critical role in the lives of our people, our customers, and the communities we serve.
As a leadership team, and as a Board, I encourage you in the work you are doing to address not only the systemic challenges the company is facing, but also take the extra critical step to truly understand and honor the soul of the company and its brand. It’s what binds us all together.
Respectfully,
Howard
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