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It's Not About the Coffee: Lessons on Putting People First from a Life at Starbucks Paperback – Illustrated, April 28, 2009

by Howard Behar (Author), Janet Goldstein (Author), Howard Schultz (Introduction)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 385 ratings
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During his many years as a senior executive at Starbucks, Howard Behar helped establish the Starbucks culture, which stresses people over profits. He coached hundreds of leaders at every level and helped the company grow into a world-renowned brand. Now he reveals the ten principles that guided his leadership-and not one of them is about coffee. Behar shows that if you think of your staff as people (not labor costs) they will achieve amazing results. He discusses the importance of building trust, telling hard truths, thinking independently, and more. And he shares inside stories of key turning points for Starbucks, as it fought to hang on to its culture while growing exponentially.
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  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Portfolio
  4. Publication date
    April 28, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.12 x 0.54 x 7.98 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1591842727
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1591842729
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A book about how to succeed anywhere-not just in business."
-Former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley

"The most down-to-earth, in-the-trenches, straightforward, and utterly useful leadership book I've ever read."
-James A. Autry, author of The Servant Leader

"The tips inside are intelligent, heartfelt, tested and honed in reality. Bravo."
-David Allen, author of Getting Things Done

About the Author

Howard Behar was the North American president of Starbucks for 21 years. During his tenure, he grew the franchise from 28 stores to more than 15,000 across five continents and served on the Starbucks board of directors for 12 years until his retirement. His first book, It’s Not About the Coffee: Lessons on Leadership from a Life at Starbucks, was published in 2008, and since then he has been traveling the world speaking, mentoring, and spreading the message of leading with your values first. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Janet Goldstein is a publishing consultant who has worked with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and nonprofits. She lives in New York.

Howard Schultz is chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks, where he has been recognized for his leadership, business ethics, and efforts to strengthen communities. He and his wife, Sheri, have pledged extensive support to help veterans make successful transitions to civilian life through the Schultz Family Foundation’s Onward Veterans initiative. Schultz is the bestselling author of Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul and Pour Your Heart Into It.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio; Illustrated edition (April 28, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1591842727
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591842729
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.54 x 7.98 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 385 ratings

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  1. Janet Goldstein

    Janet Goldstein

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  2. Howard Behar

    Howard Behar

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    HOWARD BEHAR is a renowned business leader, author, speaker, and mentor. He served at Starbucks for a combined twenty-one years as both an officer and a board member. He was the president of North America and the founding president of Starbucks International. He lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Lynn, where he is able to spend time with his children and grandchildren.

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
385 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bob
5.0 out of 5 stars a powerful reminder of the human spirit
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved reading about Howard’s perspective around a people-first business. As the CEO and leader of an amazing team, this book has truly impacted me in ways that will profoundly shape how I lead moving forward. A wonderful read for any leader who truly values mission and others.
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Snowman2433
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Leadership Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022
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Great book! If you like leadership books this is a must read! I am not a huge reader and I never wanted to put it down. I personally thought it was great!
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KC Wolf
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2012
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I purchased this book for myself as I was looking to be inspired to make a difference at work. This book delivered inspiration and meaning. I was very impressed with it's easy-to-read style and loved the action items at the end of each chapter. I ended up purchasing additional copies to give out to colleagues/friends as gifts.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to make an improvement in their personal leadership or the leadership within their place of work.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars reasonably written for a business book
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020
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Your average, fairly smarmy business book, designed to be read in one or two quick sessions. In my experience, this is the kind of tome that gets issued by HR to assure everybody that a company's value system is healthy and participatory and will indeed take workers' input into account ("listen to those who push the broom") when in reality, the business will remain profit-driven and cutthroat. I think this would be most useful to a business if it was read and discussed by people at the company -- used as a starting point for a conversation about what the company's values are or should be and whether everyone is experiencing them the same way , for which the author even provides some starter questions -- rather than read and interpreted without insight as to which of the outlined values the business plans to embody.
4 people found this helpful
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Carla Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Leadership Advice That Works
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2009
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When it comes to leadership, there's no shortage of "how to" books. But the difference between books that offer laws, factors and rules, and Behar's quick read is that It's Not About the Coffee pinpoints the one thing on which every organization must focus to reach success--the people.

The book is a collection of learnings from Behar's career as a senior executive at Starbucks. It was here that he helped establish the company's culture, which stresses the importance of people over profits. Behar coached hundreds of leaders at every level and helped the company grow into a world-renowned brand.

A few of his key principles:
* Know who you are: Wear one hat. When you know who you are and remain true to yourself, then you wear one "hat." And when you do that, everything becomes easier, even the things you dread doing.
* Think independently: The person who sweeps the floor should choose the broom. Organizations naturally apply rules to help with efficiency. But those that thrive encourage employees to bring their unique perspectives to the job and take charge. Explain to people what you expect of them, then step back and let them surprise you.
* Be accountable: Only the truth sounds like the truth. Being truthful must start with you first. If you're not accountable--both in words and actions--then you can't expect others to be.

It doesn't matter if you're a company of one or one million, success lies in, and within, people. I recommend this book to anyone at any level and within any industry who cares about building trust, facing challenges and dreaming big.
5 people found this helpful
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Jim Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Putting people first.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
We have had the honor to have the author Howard Behar on our podcast. He is the real deal. In this book he shares the power and principles of putting your people first to run a great business. How he helped Starbucks grow their brand is both amazing and inspiring!
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GammaRay
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, if you are the type to focus on the well-being of your employees
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book because I wanted to get an idea into the minds of head honchos. To see what makes successes and failures they've encountered during their journey. I was really surprised by how closely the way Starbucks ran their business was how I thought a company should function. I truly believe that for a company to succeed, you need to understand your employees and what motivates them to do their best. Many businesses focus on the bottom line and could care less about their worker bees. Here, they believe that not caring about your employees causes low morale and eventually death of a business.

I won't go into details of the book, but I would highly recommend giving this a read, whether you agree with their practices or not, one can truly learn something.
3 people found this helpful
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Jazzy Cain
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for a Barista
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
Bought “used” and it’s in AMAZING condition. I bought this book when I got promoted to a shift supervisor at Starbucks and it’s wonderful and super eye opening! Very easy read as well!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Paddy
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful leadership book about the power and magic that comes with focusing on people.
Reviewed in Germany on December 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
I will recommend this book to every leader I meet. Full of leadership wisdom and packed with real-life stories, this book will help every leader improve.

I especially enjoyed how the author conveyed the importance of a culture determined by a focus on people. Make your people happy, they will make your customers happy, they will make your business succeed. Focus on the people.
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Sara Makvandi
5.0 out of 5 stars Business and Heart
Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great book; even if you're not a manager or working, it shares insights on how to deal with everyone in a respectful manner. I've read it twice already and will definitely read it again
One person found this helpful
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M R.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read:-)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
It's my go-to book; clear, simple, common-sense, sage-like advice proffered by a true servant leader:-)

All leaders/ managers should have a copy or two ( one to give away to friends) in their library or on their bedside table.

When Howard Schultz runs for President...Howard Behar should be his Vice-President or if we can find a UK family link Prime Minister:-)

If I could wish for a perfect book to read, I'd like to see a collaboration between Howard Behar and Sir Ken Robinson, imagine their combined talents solving the current Education crisis that we face in the UK/USA:-)
One person found this helpful
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Ana Maria Torres Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars Genial
Reviewed in Spain on May 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
Muy buen libro
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Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive book on human focused management
Reviewed in Australia on April 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Howard delivers a concise and entertaining "how to" on the many aspects of successful organisational management. Brave in ownership of issues Starbucks encountered while being enlightening on the focus towards respecting the value every person brings from customers to the many teirs of the organisation. Highly recommend if you are someone looking to tailor your management style to an all inclusive and motivational approach.
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