Starbucks Experience about Knowing

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
www.spiritsavvy.net

The Starbucks Experience by Joseph Michelli...
5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary.
It is an idea that many thought would not catch on in America. Why buy European-style coffee costing $3 a cup, when you can get it faster and cheaper at your local convenience store. It has become a phenomenon of growth that is still sweeping America. Using the principles of "being" that establishes connection with the customer is the cog turning out more cups of coffee most could ever imagine.

Those who work for Starbucks are made to feel part of the company. They develop skills in people connection, respecting differences in people's tastes, and service beyond what they would normally be expected to do.They have gained loyalty with those who work for them by making them feel like they own the place. Everyone with at least 20 work hours a week gets health insurance and they can participate in the company's stock option program... which in other companies it is a special benefit only for the high level executives.

Everyone is trained in coffee fundamentals. They know coffee. According to Starbucks knowledge is power. When employees have the knowledge they make the company powerful in what it sets out to do. In light of this, the work force has grown from 100 in 1987 to 100,000 in 2006. The secret under the knowledge factor is the Green Apron Book. In this 100 page training manual, each employee masters the information and learns the art of "ways of being."

The ways of being are:
be welcoming
be genuine
be knowledgeable
be considerate
be involved

The 5 principles they brew throughout the company are:
1. Make it Your Own
2. Everything Matters
3. Surprise and Delight
4. Embrace Resistance
5. Leave your Mark

1. Make it your own. To do this they all embrace the Green Apron Book. They not only remember the names of the customer. They know them. They know about their families, their daily routine, their good and bad experiences, their loves and dislikes... The process taught is connect, discover, and respond. Do for the customer what matters to them based on what you know is important to them.

They also know their business. Starbucks teaches coffee. What it is; where they get it; why they roast it the way they do; what it is good for. The "partners" as Starbucks calls them, are taught coffee thoroughly. The anthem they sing to is "be knowledgeable, love what you do, and share it with others." This is all part of the connecting reciprocation that goes on every day with the partners and their "friends" who drink coffee.

2. Everything matters.They pay close attention to detail by design. Everything in the environment matters...napkins, open space, floors, how they do it, what is served...skim, whole, half and half, soy milk. The details matter. Everything matters. The culture is fun... that matters. Details on customer's lives… that matters. Recognition for small things well done… that matters. Be playful and being profitable all in one... that matters. Starbucks looks at it all and it all matters.

3. Surprise and delight. Whoops! Showed up an hour before the Starbucks is scheduled to open. "Shucks, no coffee now." But wait. A partner opening that day sees you at the door, runs to the door, opens it and asks, "Want some coffee?" When you don't expect it, they want to surprise you. Give you a card on your birthday, a free shot and say "have a happy birthday"... now how did they know that.

The partners, in getting to know you, look for the little things to do that absolutely delight you. Just came back from a big exam, "hey how about some tranquil tea today to calm you down." Now was I acting a little stressed today?

The partners are trained to observe behavior and respond accordingly that will surprise you. Be attentive, see how you can help and anticipate surprises the customer will enjoy is a theme line. Be spontaneous and a delight for the customer. When there is a need...BAM... the partners see it and immediately fill it.

4. Embrace Resistance Motto: "Never try to beat them; Always try to join them."
Regardless of a customer's attitude, consider if a complaint is valid. If it is, respond in a resolving way. If a customer is unreasonable, try to be as reasonable as you can, and realize there is more to the complaint than maybe the complaint itself. Help them through it.

Complaints may be your best friend because they may let you know when you are slacking. These experiences can make you better, when responding to make things better from them, and they will bring you back more customers when the ways you handled it so courteously gets around. Make friends with potential enemies and make them your ally. Correct mistakes quickly.

5. Leave your mark. Starbucks has a social conscience. They are involved in the community, and encourage their partners to be too. "Corporate social responsibility should not be a fad, but in way global business is done. "

More on the author Joseph Michelli: www.josephmichelli.com

When you read Paul the Apostle,
it looks like Starbucks took some things out of Paul's play book:
“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (Romans 12: 15-18 NLT)

Relating to people is being happy when they are happy, consoling when they are sad and doing all things to live in harmony with them. The foundations for building great relationships come out of these principles. The issue is about knowing people, listening to them and responding to their likes and dislikes.

Quite simple actually, but it seems we get so much in the way in doing this. When in Spirit, dealing with people is easy. When we stay in love, the love of God with us, we respond lovingly to all things. The key area is "knowing."

Everybody wants to be known for who they are,
be known about,
and have someone care about what they know.

Jesus made a very stern comment on God's feelings about "knowing."
"Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!' "But he called back, 'Believe me, I don't know you!' (Matt. 25: 11, 12, NLT)
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it...."
"On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.' (Matt. 7: 13, 14, 22, 23 NLT)

Knowing is important in relationship and God is saying that if you don't have a relationship knowing Him for who He is, that He then doesn't know you. He knows us for who we are but "knowing" here is more than that.

Knowing is about having a close, intimate, interactive relationship.
Knowing God and God knowing you is an interactive intimacy. He is saying that if you are intimate with Me, I am intimate with you. He comes to us, but then we must come close to him. Those who seek Him with all their hearts will find Him the Scriptures say. Our Heavenly Father knows all our concerns (Matt 6:32).

All He asks is we enter in His Presence with Him. To really Know Him, just like people want us to know them for who they are. He wants us to know Him for who He is. He asks us to talk to Him and listen to His Divine thoughts of unlimited wisdom. He will share them with us if we just take time to get to know Him too.

The reasons people want us to know them are the same reasons God wants us to know Him. He is a personal person and wants to be known personally too.

Jesus did what the Father told Him to do. So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. (John5:19, NLT)

Jesus’ desire was to know the Father and do exactly what He said. Again, we see the picture of intimate relationship… a knowing and understanding of each other, an appreciation for each other.

He wants to show us too and He wants us to see what He is up to. We can see this when we go into His inner presence and intimately interact with Him. It happens, WHEN you spend time there.

This Spirit brings the very Spirit of God close into our working, everyday activity of our lives. This is the Spirit Jesus had in all He did. Read all of John 5 and you see how He lived in the Father, and the Father lived in Him and He only lived to please the Father.
" I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me."
" Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life."

Being loving, kind, compassionate, forgiving, understanding are part of Spirit virtues
and since it IS Spirit, when we allow Spirit in us,
we Are that too.

When we know Jesus,
live in Him, He is us, we know Him and He receives us into the kingdom.
He will say... I know you.
But we must live interactively, intimately, listening to Him and following His directions only.

What is most important is what God thinks of you. Although when dealing with men, when you live in Spirit the Character of Spirit is a very sweet aroma to every one you meet. Everyone wants that. And in Spirit, you also "know" people, are naturally caring and will do things that surprise them. ( Because you "Know" them and know how to respond to them.)

Spirit in Jesus is the higher road and the path that leads to a knowing beyond our naturally abilities as is what Jesus is saying in John 5.

God already knows you. He wants you to Know Him, to be intimate with Him, in intimate communication with Him and allow your Spirit to have intimate intercourse in Him, in Spirit.

When we know each other, we express the Spirit of God. This is also a profound mystery. But taking time to know each other, living caring, and believing in each other, within that the Power of Spirit is manifested.

When we love, care for and live in harmony, the Spirit of God goes to work on behalf of all involved.

Live in Spirit. Take time to Know God. And express His love to everyone you meet, and the Greatness of God will be around you in a most surprising way.