I strongly believe that a great leader is a learning leader. When we stop learning we stop growing. So, never stop learning! I just cracked open, "The Starbucks Experience" by Joseph Michelli -5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary. First, let me say how amazing the cover is to this book. It looks and feels like a Starbucks drink (I love texture)! It's all about the 5 BASIC principles for turning ordinary into extraordinary and Starbucks seems to have the market cornered on customer service!
The five key leadership principles that transformed an ordinary idea into an extraordinary experience are:
Principle # 1 - Make It Your Own
Principle # 2 - Everything Matters
Principle # 3 - Surprise and Delight
Principle # 4 - Embrace Resistance
Principle # 5 - Leave Your Mark
One of my favorite sections in the book comes from a quote from Starbucks Chairman, Howard Schultz. He says, "We are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee... we continually are reminded of the powerful need and desire for human contact and for community... the Starbucks environment has become as important as the coffee itself. "Wow - let's take that in the church environment. We have the MOST important message on the face of the planet, bar none! How can we learn to incorporate the thoughts and ideas from Starbucks to create a fantastic experience for our "customers"? After all - couldn't we say that we are not in the God business serving people, but in the people business serving God? I think we can learn a lot about serving God to people in and through our churches and from Starbucks.
At Starbucks they have what they all the "Green Apron Book". It consists of 5 basic principles that Starbucks managers have provided to their employees to infuse themselves into their work, so that they can inspire customers in legendary ways. They call these the "Five Ways of Being":
Be Welcoming
Be Genuine
Be Considerate
Be Knowledgeable
Be Involved
These same principles could apply to us as a church body. When serving our guests in church, who have come to hear, possibly for the very first time, the most relevant message on earth, we need to make sure that all of the above are taken into account to ensure a quality experience!
Okay - so you just need to go out an buy the book!
1 comments:
Great Book! Read it a while back! It's amazing that we can glean so much from the business world. It is a wonder that more CP's and church leaders don't do it. Keep up the great work! (Oh yeah, and the cover is amazing, how did they do that?)
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