I’m catching up this week on many a book review that I haven’t been able to get to in recent months, but here is a leadership book I enjoyed recently from one of the key Starbucks execs. Behar was the key guy in getting Starbucks established internationally and Asia specifically I believe, which I enjoyed as I read a lot of this book from a Starbucks in Manila!
This a helpful and practical book of leadership principles that aren’t overly conceptual or abstract, but that are directly related to culture shaping, meaning making, and ethical workplaces that honor people and are successful. That’s what I loved most about the book – it repeatedly drives home different ways in which leadership must put others first in shaping an organizational culture that puts others first.
I’ve emphasized in my own leadership trainings over the past decade the significance of identity and purpose in being able to live and lead in ways that are making meaning in addition to simply getting the job done and accomplishing “the mission.” Behar does much the same starting off with his first principle on identity. I won’t outline the book, but this is an excellent leadership resource that isn’t too dense or heavy and that can really trigger your thought and reflection about your own leadership as well as the environments you serve in – no matter whether they are organizational or religious in nature.
I personally don’t like reading leadership books where someone or some group has had success so they write a book to tell the world how awesome they are as experts on “leadership.” This book wasn’t like that at all and you really experience Behar’s passion for people and wisdom related to how to keep that perspective fresh in an organization through leadership and culture shaping. He hits areas that many other leadership writers miss and writes in a very accessible way that would help leaders at all different levels.
So maybe you should do what I did – read this book mostly from a Starbucks! Reading it in that context actually helped me visualize much more of what Behar was communicating and sharing and I’ve come back a few times already to refresh myself on his top 10 principles.
