Customer Service
Michael Gates Gill on How Starbucks Saved His Life
How one man's career went from advertising executive to jobless to the best job of his life... serving coffee at Starbucks.
June 27, 2008 / Podcast # 08-26
Michael Gates Gill had it all. But by the time he turned 60, he had lost everything except his Ivy League education and his sense of entitlement. First he was downsized at work; next, an affair ended his 20 year marriage. Then he was diagnosed with a slow growing brain tumor.
Gill had no money, no health insurance, and no prospects. One day as Gill sat in a Manhattan Starbucks, a 28 year old Starbucks manager named Crystal Thompson approached him, half joking, to offer him a job. With nothing to lose he took it and went from drinking coffee in a Brooks Brothers suit to serving it in a green apron. Read more…
Howard Behar on the Secret of Starbucks’ Success
Building pride and service into corporate culture.
March 28, 2008 / Podcast # 08-13
After a working life spent building Starbucks from a chain of 28 stores to an international coffee business through positions such as executive vice president of sales, founding president of Starbucks International and president of Starbucks North America, Howard Behar tells of the strategies he used to establish the business into the success it is today. Following the release of his book It’s Not About the Coffee, Behar shares the soft skills that helped to construct the company from a regional outlet to a corporation with international reach. Read more…
Alex Frankel on Working Undercover at America’s Top Companies
How do some of the giants of commerce turn thousands of average job applicants into loyal—even fanatical—workers?
March 21, 2008 / Podcast # 08-12
Curious to know just what happens behind the “employees only” doors of big companies, journalist Alex Frankel embarked on an undercover reporting project to find out how some of America’s well-known companies win the hearts and minds of their retail and service employees. Read more…
Joseph Grenny on Vital Behaviors for Positive Influence
Whether you're a CEO, a parent, or merely a person who wants to make a difference, you probably wish you had more influence with the people in your life.
March 14, 2008 / Podcast # 08-11
Most of us stop trying to make change happen because we believe it is too difficult, if not impossible. We develop complicated coping strategies when we should be learning the tools and techniques of the world’s most influential people. But this is about to change. From the bestselling authors of Crucial Conversations comes Influencer, a thought-provoking book that combines the remarkable insights of behavioral scientists and business leaders with the astonishing stories of high-powered influencers from all walks of life.
Read more…
James Parker on Doing the Right Thing at Southwest Airlines
Insights from the former CEO of one of America's most admired companies.
January 11, 2008 / Podcast # 08-02
People matter most, we all know that. But most companies would rather slash costs, cut headcount, replace well-paid employees with lower-paid employees or outsourced workers, and reduce customer service. In the wake of 9/11, Southwest Airlines was faced with a disastrous situation that threatened to ruin not only their business but the entire airline industry. In response, Southwest Airlines made three pivotal decisions: no layoffs, no pay cuts, and no-hassle refunds for any customer wanting them. The result: Southwest remained profitable, it was the only major airline to protect the jobs of all its employees, and Southwest’s market cap soon exceeded all its major competitors combined. Read more…