Many business leaders today face a dynamic set of challenges. How does one choose employees who have the talents and interpersonal qualities necessary to deliver memorable customer experiences? How can leaders bring on board, train, and acculturate team members so that they develop a passion for product excellence and the skills required to become consummate service professionals? How can technology be leveraged to strengthen, not diminish, personal service delivery?
If you are fortunate enough to be a manager or leader in a company with a global footprint like The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company or Starbucks, you face the added challenges of constantly refining your products and services to connect with changing and culturally diverse customer groups—all the while maintaining operational excellence and the loyalty of your existing customer base.
Each of Dr. Joseph Michelli’s books offers a learning laboratory that’s rich with examples from leaders as they address the aforementioned challenges and opportunities. They provide information, insights, and analysis on how leaders seek to create a high-performance organization that operates through the lens of humanity. This book demonstrates both the setbacks and the breakthroughs that the Starbucks leadership has encountered as it has attempted to position its products and people to deliver consistent, engaging, and loyalty-enhancing experiences.
I first met Dr. Michelli approximately six years ago. At that time, he brought his background as a customer experience professional, business consultant, and author to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and chronicled our never-ending commitment to foster the engagement of our “Ladies and Gentlemen” and the guests whom we are fortunate to serve at our hotels and resorts in 27 countries presently.
As president of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, I believe that a company’s culture is critical to its success. At The Ritz-Carlton, we strive to anticipate and exceed guests’ expectations in a warm, relaxed, and refined setting. We are constantly looking for ways to infer and go beyond the wants, needs, and desires of our Ladies and Gentlemen and of our guests. All of the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton (myself included) invest in and communicate about our cultural foundation on a daily basis.
American author M. Scott Peck suggested that we should “share our similarities, and celebrate our differences.” While The Ritz-Carlton and Starbucks are different organizations in many respects, Leading the Starbucks Way is a powerful and useful reminder that every one of us (no matter what our function or our industry) can contribute in some way to improved product quality, enhanced service delivery, emotionally engaging experiences, and enriched community involvement.
I wish you a fond farewell and joyful reading.
HERVE HUMLER
President and Chief Operations Officer
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.