Why Howard Schultz Says Logic Won't Save Starbucks

Biden’s mental decline. Inflation. Consumers tightening their wallets. Foreign turmoil. And election year drama. The start of 2024 was a real dumpster fire.

Or as the retired CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz put it:

“In a world seemingly on fire, steeped in disinformation and so much hate, in which people are so disconnected from each other…”

On February 7, 2024, retired Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz released a letter to the public on LinkedIn. The letter, shared with the world, spoke to the Starbucks leadership and team and encouraged them to…

“Take the extra critical step to truly understand and honor the soul of the company and its brand.”

You can read Howard’s full letter here (3 minutes).

What idea is Howard trying to sell?

To understand the idea Howard is selling in this public letter, you have to understand what Starbucks means to him. Howard began working at Starbucks in 1982 but left three years later to open his own store — Il Giornale — to explore what he believed Starbucks could become.

Around that time, his father-in-law sat him down and told him to quit chasing this dream.

“I think you need to get a job. You don’t have a job or a salary. You have a hobby and my daughter is seven months pregnant and working.”

Howard says he almost quit but his wife tells him to keep going.

So what happens next?

Starbucks grows and grows and grows. By the time Howard is ready to step down from CEO in 2000 they’ve grown to 3,500 stores.

But he’s not done. He comes back as CEO in 2008 and leads Starbucks for another nine years to 26,000 stores.

And he returns yet again as interim CEO, from 2022 to 2023.

The idea that Howard is selling in this public letter is that the people Starbucks need to understand the heart and soul of the brand so it can be protected and nurtured. Howard doesn’t want Starbucks to just be a financially successful organization, he wants it to remain a beloved cultural icon.

I think this idea is fascinating because in a world that is driven by logic, numbers, and spreadsheets, you have the man who’s been described as the “Ray Kroc of our generation” speaking from his heart about a company that he loves.

What device does Howard use to see this idea?

Howard uses incredibly emotive language to show readers just how vital the soul is to the company. For example…

“The soul of a brand is an intangible, but yet you know it when you see it, and so endearing when you feel and experience it.”

He amplifies this love love language later in the letter…

“It doesn’t emerge from the company’s strategy or tactical execution. It’s born out of love, of passion, and the responsibility of its leaders to simply do the right things.”

There were some breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience and decision-making in the 1990s by Antonio Damasio. We learned that without the emotional center of our brain we become unable to make even the most simple decisions. We need emotion to reason effectively. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor famously summarized this idea…

“Although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think.”

I point this out because — whether implicitly or explicitly — Howard understands this and uses it…

“If you have trouble understanding it, feeling it, or at times lose sight of it, I suggest you go to Pike Place and stand in the corner and take in fifty years of sharing our love of coffee and community with customers. The soul of the company lives within the walls of the store, the floorboards, the countertops, the hearts and minds of our partners, and the ever present aroma of our coffee that will grab you by your heartstrings and not let go as you stand on the shoulders of the many who have come before you.”

So what should we learn from Howard?

“In a world seemingly on fire, steeped in disinformation and so much hate, in which people are so disconnected from each other, Starbucks and the soul of the brand and its place in society and culture plays a critical role in the lives of our people, our customers, and the communities we serve.”

Great leaders aren’t afraid to use emotive language. They understand that hearts are moved by emotion, not just pure logic. Great leaders aren’t just building shareholder profits, they’re building organizations that can make an impact.