Starbucks’s New CEO Just Made a Very Unusual Announcement, and Every Company Should Do This

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan is doing what every CEO and small-business owner should do: Work the front lines.

BY JUSTIN BARISO, AUTHOR, EQ APPLIED@JUSTINJBARISO

For Inc.

Photo:  Starbucks coffee shop in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Getty Images

“What do I do now?”

New Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan was in unfamiliar territory. His list of accomplishments was impressive: MBA from Wharton Business School, 19 years at McKinsey, CEO at a multinational company.

But he had never done this: undergo a 40-hour training program to become certified as a Starbucks barista.

Narasimhan says he learned much about the retail experience by working directly in Starbucks stores. So much, in fact, that in a recent letter to employees he announced that in an effort to stay close to the company’s culture, customers, and challenges, he would continue working in stores for a half day each month.

It’s not every day you hear of a public company’s CEO working side-by-side with entry-level employees. But this unusual idea isn’t just brilliant–it’s emotionally intelligent: using the power of emotions to help achieve your goals.

Let’s examine why, and what every company can learn from it. (If you enjoy this article, you might want to sign up for my free course, which uses storytelling and scientific research to help you and your team build emotional intelligence.)

How to support employees, learn from customers, and run a better business

According to a 2018 study of CEO behavior from professors at Harvard Business School, chief executives only spent about 6 percent of their time (on average) with rank-and-file employees (and even less time with customers).

But it is that time in particular, say the authors, that can provide valuable opportunities for company leaders to meaningfully engage with the people who matter–and to “stay in touch with what’s really going on in the company.”

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