Leading Beyond the Cup

It is incredibly refreshing to have three daughters that demonstrate leadership characteristics every day!  And it’s great to be able to share their leadership stories with you!  Take a read….  

There’s a great deal of information about millennials in the workplace; how to work with others, how to grow with a company, how to find the passion that gets you up in the morning.   I am 25 years old and I am that millennial.  Here’s my story…

The moment came 7 years ago, when I got my first job (that I loved).  I was hired to be a barista for Starbucks. Even at the age I was (a brewed 18 year-old) I knew what I was passionate about… I loved creating relationships and then fostering them to be special.  I loved coffee, and creating relationships and coffee tied so naturally to the Starbucks mission statement,  “to inspire and nurture the human spirit; one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

This passion of mine over the past seven years has not only stayed with me, but it is the statement that has helped me grow into the leader that I am today.  I am fortunate to say I work with one of the best companies out there.   Believing in the values of the company and being passionate about being the best I can be has led me to be a new manager of my own Starbucks store.   It is an honor and a thrill to be able to say that!

When I started up the management ladder about a year ago, my district manager asked me what the difference was between being a leader and being a manager, and I asked, “aren’t they the same?”

I did my research and learned that a leader’s focus and priority is about building relationships and coaching others to be successful.  I learned that a manager’s focus is building systems and directing employees. I looked at both of these definitions and realized that both are important.  Putting these two together, coupled with my own values and beliefs and those of the great company I work for, the desire to be a great leader intensified.    So, I asked myself…

How do I become a great leader?

It’s Day 1, new manager, my own store…., I walk into MY store, knowing I have a core supervisor team; a team that has been running this store for the past couple months without a permanent manager. My mindset before coming into this store was that I was going to create change, to make the store better, and to grow the business.  I could have come in and said, “here’s what we are going to change, how we are going to do things, so let’s get started.”  With quick reflection, I realized that this would easily be seen as stepping on toes of the supervisor team and potentially destroying many things that they thought were good.  (Yes, at 25, I did realize this!)   I took a step back, and rather than making changes that I wanted, I recognized that it would be difficult to build relationships and gain support this way.  I took the approach of being more suggestive, and asking them ideas about this, or that, instead of changing all these things.  Having a suggestive mindset (coaching vs. telling) makes discussing certain topics and decisions easier when done together as a management team.  There is no “I” in TEAM.

I’m in Week 2 as a new store manager.  I know I have so much to learn, but the foundation has been laid. One thing I do know is I will continue building and creating relationships with my team members and our customers.  I will help my team members find their passion and live out the values of the company we work for.  Creating positive change every day, motivating and celebrating team success and delivering the best service and the best cup of joe is first and foremost.

I’ll check back in along my leadership journey.  Thanks for visiting!!

Written by: 

Coleen Mead, Store Manager, Starbucks