It's not about the coffee

I was talking to Dr. Bob yesterday and he reminded me of the Starbucks anthem titled "It's Not About the Coffee." The small book (a quick read) got buried in my library so I pulled it out again. I was delighted that the theme of the book echoes the VIP mantra "Build people. Build profit."

We need to be optimistic to realize our vision in challenging economic times. The Starbucks story is a tumultuous one. In spite of the "we the people of Starbucks" declaration of team dedication, their stock has declined this year. Critics love to comment on overpricing, long lines and dirty tables. You can find any variety of coffee drinks at your 7-11 and MacDonald's now. But let's face it...when you have to have a Starbucks, you have to have a Starbucks. You've grown accustomed to the tatooed cashier and your vanilla macchiato.

The company knows they have a great product. They have great store placement - even in China. So what gives? Where are the profits?

They seem to think it's with their team on the front lines. Starbucks made big news a few weeks ago when they closed their stores for training. Now, it's too soon to tell if this will result in a profit turnaround, but it makes a great story and if the tactic succeeds, it will change investor thinking in a big way.

It's a noble act to invest in people. Whatever happens, I know that everyone of their employees is more focused on the bottom line. I wager that team happiness will ultimately mean more to the company than even a price increase could. We'll see.

blast from the past

I got an email last week from a Durango friend that the old New York Bakery exploded. The demise of the 200 year old building was due to a fire two doors down. The pictures on the net were of the bricks from the roofline strewn on the street below.


I used to own the old building and the business it housed. We brought the croissant to southwest Colorado. Albeit a questionable claim to fame, the spirit of the business was to bring new things to a historic small town with tourist traffic that defined it. Every summer, out of towners flocked to the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge railroad. Excited in the morning and weary in the evening, they wandered Main Street and, when we were lucky, they found our restaurant.

When I got the news, a flood of memories came upon me. So many that I couldn't finish this post. Places are really about people. Enjoy the story of our stop along the journey (read more above) that proves the point:

One night in Anchorage, a few months ago spurred by an email from my friend in Durango, we had fun looking for friends from our ski area days. Turns out, there was an obscure discussion forum post that mentioned John Briner, Skagway, AK. John ran the ski school when we worked at the ski area. We had more fun and drank more beers together than anyone should be allowed. He was there the night we rode the canoe in the powder on Chipmunk Hill and forever tweaked the bow. (Another story, another time.)

The night before we got on the ferry in Haines, we called information and found that, yes, there was a John Briner in Skagway and yes, he was the same one that worked at Purgatory.

We met John in the Red Onion, a bar on corner across from the train station. He walked into the bar looking around smiling so that his eyes squinted just as they always did. His six foot something skinny frame leaned over to hug and shake hands. His lady, Karen, was there to witness our first-time-in-twenty-years reunion. We found a table, ordered the beers and began two days of “whatever happened to” stories.

Like I said, the places we've been are only as memorable as the people we meet.

politics of change

I'm going in. The water isn't really that cold.

It's time to talk politics. Now, I'm not bold enough to claim a candidate yet but I, like you, am listening. My interest in our next election has never been so high. (Okay, I'm a slow learner...) I am searching for the next new thing.

As a matter of fact, searching for the next new thing is a favorite pastime. The Internet makes it easier. I can educate myself here. I can develop opinions with the help of anonymous friends, just a click away. I can get some bad information, too.

The real fact is that, if I read it on the Internet, someone posted it. The person posting has an opinion. Every Internet "fact" is born of opinion. Whether you type the name of a candidate, a recipe or a book in that Google search bar, what comes up on the page are transparent opinions. That information wouldn't be there if someone hadn't thought it had value and she took the time to post it.

The most important part of your search results, however, isn't necessarily the fact that it was posted by someone. The most important part of any search is how soon you found it. If you found your info on the first page of your search, congratulations. It may mean you had lots of friends looking for the same info, too.

So where am I headed with this?

I think everyone should use the Internet to find "friends". (Shame on you...I didn't mean that type of friend...) We should always be on the lookout for people that share information the right way and in the right spirit. The right spirit - one of compassion, curiosity, or generosity, for example - can change the world. (That's right. I said "World!") Each of us has a chance to make a difference. We need to find "our people." And when we do, we need to endorse them.

Your internet search is a metaphor for our lives. Please keep looking. If we don't search for our answers, we can't create change.

a beautiful plan

If people knew how great my clients are, they would be jealous.

I went to Tulsa last week to work with champions. I was given two beautiful days to facilitate the unfolding of a beautiful plan for this year. The team will break records this year. They will earn bonuses. They will be escorted to Israel in 2009. (yes...Israel is the prize!)

How will they do it? They have a production goal and they have a plan.

A production goal is a number. It's just a number. Without a calendar that tells how many days you get to produce and who is going to produce on each of those days, you don't have a strategy. Without a strategy, the numbers can't convert to productivity and productivity can't convert to dollars.

Sounds so simple. But I just spent two days working - we worked hard! - building a strategy for a goal. There is more to do. There is a "people plan" to deliver, too. More on that later.

i've got the power

There is a pile of books on the floor that overflowed from my bookcase. I am surprised at the number of them that have power in the title.

"The Power of Flow" (Belitz & Lundstrom) offers "Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Conincedence."

"The Power of Nice" (Thaler & Koval) teaches "How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness."

Piero Ferrucci (with a forward by the Dalai Lama..!), in "The Power of Kindness", speaks of "Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life."

The most powerful book in the pile, however, belongs to Marianne Williamson's "Return to Love." She didn't need to put power in her title. She made the desire for power a personal challenge. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure...."

I met a very interesting young woman on the plane last week. We talked about the power of change, the power of fear and the power of success.

We talked about growing up in Sun Valley (her), skiing to work everyday in Colorado(me), and living in San Francisco (she was bartending and single, I was a working mother in Marin). Her biggest adventure was medical school at thirty. Mine was the move to Alaska with an AARP card. (I wonder: Does medical school trump Alaska?) Each of us had changed where we lived and how we lived many, many times. We shared our stories, laughed, and made five hours slip away.

This trip may have inspired me to write another book titled "The Power of a Long Flight Home: How to Share, Learn and Laugh your Way around the World." I'll open the first page with a quote sent by my dear friend from one of my "past lives":

"The true measure of success in life isn't money, fame or power. It's laugh lines."

Laughter? Now that's powerful.

super tuesday

I think every week should have a Super Tuesday.

A Marvelous Monday would be great, too.

How about a Wonderful Wednesday? Terrific Thursday? Fabulous Friday?

I like this idea - a lot.

I vote to make every day a great day.

When I lived in New York - a very, very long time ago - I went to the post office one day. I had an easy request. I asked to buy a stamp. And then I said,"Thank you."

The postal clerk asked quickly, "Wheah yew frum?" (This is my shameless attempt at writing as a New Yorker talks.)

I replied that I lived around the corner.

"Nah, yew dawnt live here. Yew'r too nice..." he said.

I think I brightened his day. I know he brightened mine. A compliment is a sure way to make someone feel better, even if it's obscure. A compliment can make a day super, marvelous, wonderful, terrific and fabulous.

Have I told you how smart you are? There you go. Have a great day!

what a game!

Imagine how it felt last night to be in the Giants locker room?

Smiles. Cheering. Champagne. What a picture.

I guess it helped to be an underdog. They had a whole lot of energy to harness that helped to move that team towards a common goal: The World Championship!

So why didn't the Patriots win? The truth is, their time ran out.

Sure, the Giants defense fought a great game. Sure, Eli had that fantastic save and hit Burress in the endzone with 35 seconds left. With one second left, the Patriots headed toward the tunnel and left Eli to kneel. And when the clock ticked to zero, the clock ruled the game.

Like the Giants yesterdy, time is on our side in January but works against us in December. If we strive for an annual production goal, we need to watch it every day. Seven days make a week, weeks make months, months make our year.

Football season is over. It's the first Monday in February. Let's get going.