Howard Schultz Quotes - Page 3

People want guidance, not rhetoric. They need to know what the plan of action is, and how it will be implemented. They want to be given responsibility to help solve the problem and authority to act on it.

I never wanted to be on any billionaires list. I never define myself by net worth. I always try to define myself by my values.

Early on I realized that I had to hire people smarter and more qualified than I was in a number of different fields, and I had to let go of a lot of decision-making. I can't tell you how hard that is. But if you've imprinted your values on the people around you, you can dare to trust them to make the right moves.

I honestly never dreamed at the time that I would one day own the Starbucks and or be in a position where we would have more than 10,000 stores around the world. It has just been an incredible journey for all of us.

Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don't embrace the status quo.

I don't have any secret sauce and I'm no smarter than anyone else. I will say I have surrounded myself with unbelievable talent that has made my job easier.

Customers don't always know what they want. The decline in coffee-drinking was due to the fact that most of the coffee people bought was stale and they weren't enjoying it. Once they tasted ours and experienced what we call "the third place" ... a gathering place between home and work where they were treated with respect.. they found we were filling a need they didn't know they had.

Always challenge the old ways.

And with the right mentor, don't be afraid to expose your vulnerabilities. Admit you don't know what you don't know. When you acknowledge your weaknesses and ask for advice, you'll be surprised how much others will help.

We need to put ourselves in the shoes of our customers. That is my new battle cry. Live and breathe Starbucks the way our customers do.

We are witnessing a seismic change in consumer behavior. That change is being brought about by technology and the access people have to information.

The challenge of the retail business is the human condition.

My mother taught me something at a young age - she said 'you are the company you keep.' To define yourself by some label or some level of resources - that's pretty shallow.

Good results is not an entitlement. It has to be earned and earned each individual working day via the lens of humility.

The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability. And that has a lot to do with trust.

I've traveled around the world, and what's so revealing is that, despite the differences in culture, politics, language, how people dress, there is a universal feeling that we all want the same thing. We deeply want to be respected and appreciated for our differences.

My passion. My commitment. This is the most important thing in my life other than my family.

Authentic brands don't emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies. They emanate from everything the company does.

Business leaders cannot be bystanders.

In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart.

Work should be personal. For all of us. Not just for the artist and entrepreneur. Work should have meaning for the accountant, the construction worker, the technologist, the manager and the clerk.

Social and digital media is a bullet train, and that bullet train is not coming home.

In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity or you can pick yourself up and say listen, I have to be responsible for myself.

Overnight the digital age had changed the course of history for our company. Everything that we thought was in our control no longer was. But within a year we had invested in social media and digital experts. Now Starbucks is the number one brand on Facebook.

The premium single-cup segment is the fastest-growing business within the global coffee industry.