Monthly Archives: May 2008

reExperience Starbucks: What’s Up Howard?

What’s up Howard?

Howard Schultz rode in on his white horse in January to reclaim his throne as CEO of Starbucks. It wasn’t just the media anointing Schultz, Howard put himself front and center and promised to return Starbucks to its glory. In his first Transformation Agenda Communication,Schultz listed as one of his priorities: 

“Re-igniting our emotional attachment with our customers by restoring the connection our customers have with you, our coffee, our brand, and our stores.

The fact that Schultz called his communication a “Transformation Agenda” hinted of big things to come. Naturally, most people expected a transformation, including me. We are now four months into the transformation and it is difficult to see the re-ignition of emotional attachment that Schultz promised. Granted, Schultz didn’t promise immediate results. Instead, he said it was a 12-18 month timetable. But exactly where is Stabucks positioned on Howard’s transformation time line?

Becky Carroll of Customers Rock! and I have teamed up to reExperience Starbucks and blog about the transformation. Becky joins us for episode 12 of Power to the Small Business to discuss the Starbucks transformation status.

The Guest: Becky Carroll – Customers Rock! blog, Customer Advocate, Consultant, Speaker
Length: 24 minutes 

Power To The Small Business – Episode #12: reExperience Starbucks: What’s up Howard?
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Show Notes:

– Howard Schultz Transformation Agenda

  1. Improving the U.S. business with training, tools and new products.
  2. Re-igniting the emotional attachment with customers through the experience.
  3. Re-aligning and streamlining organizational structure for the benefit of the experience.
  4. International expansion.

 

Visual Thinking With Dan Roam

Dan Roam, Author of The Back of the Napkin
How much would you pay to become creative and innovative? You may only need to pay $16.47. That’s the Amazon price of DanRoam’s new book: The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures. Roam contends that any problem can be solved with what he calls “visual thinking,” a simple system of drawing.
Don’t like your drawing ability? That’s ok, because Roam says it’s not artistic ability that matters. It’s time to open your mind to new possibilities and opportunities with visual thinking. 

The Guest:
Dan Roam – Digital Roam, Management Consultant, Author

Length: 26 minutes

Power To The Small Business – Episode #11: Visual Thinking With Dan Roam
(Feed readers and RSS subscribers – Click here to listen if you don’t see the player)
You can also right click and download the mp3 file here: Download Show (for personal use only)

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Show Notes:

– Visual Thinking

  1. Discover by taking advantage of our innate ability to see.
  2. Develop ideas in a quick, sketchy, intuitive way.
  3. Share those ideas
– Four Steps to the Visual Process
  1. Look at the problem.
  2. See the patterns.
  3. Imagine new ideas from those patterns.
  4. Show – get it down on paper.
– SQVID: Five questions to get outside the box
  1. Simple or complex?
  2. Qualitatively or quantitatively?
  3. Show a vision or execution?
  4. Individually or in comparison?
  5. The way things are, or the way they might be?