November 30, 2006
It is by presence of mind in untried emergencies that the native metal of a man is tested.
-Abraham Lincoln-
Good Morning,
I recently read the book, Pour Your Heart Into It, by Howard Schultz, the Chairman and CEO of Starbucks. The book tells the history of Starbucks from a little store that sold whole bean coffee to the worldwide corporation all of us know today. The book tells the store of a crisis that hit the company in the 90’s due to a frost in Brazil. Although Starbucks did not purchase any of their coffee from Brazil, as Brazil produces about one quarter of the world's coffee supply, the serious shortfall in coffee production there sent prices up around the world. Starbucks faces some critical decisions. Should they raise prices? As their prices were already above their competitors, this was not a good option. They thought of another option. They could save millions of dollars every year if they bought a slightly cheaper coffee. Starbucks spends more money per pound of coffee than almost any company in the world does, even though fewer than 10 percent of their customers can tell the difference.
If you can raise profits by shaving costs on your main product and 90 percent of your customers would not even notice, why not just do it?
Because, according to Schultz, Starbucks can tell the difference. Inside Starbucks, they know what great coffee tastes like. Authenticity is one of their core values; it is a part of who they are. If they compromise who they are to achieve higher profits, what have they achieved? Eventually all of their customers would figure out that they had sacrificed their quality, and they would no longer have a reason to walk the extra block for Starbucks.
Schultz goes on to say that long before that happened, the Starbucks employees would have realized that, too. What, then, would keep them coming into work every day? Yes, they could have higher profits, but the result would be poorer quality of coffee? The best people would leave. Morale would fall. The mistake would eventually catch up with them.
Starbucks was not willing to compromise its core value, even in the face of significant financial challenges. Why, because it when again who they are and what they stand for. What about us? Paul, in his letter to the Church at Philippi talked about this very issue when he wrote the following.
“The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash – along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant – dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that come from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ – God’s righteousness.
I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power…”
One of the core values of The Salvation Army is compassion. From the early days, compassion has been at the center of everything the Army stands for, whether it is serving the lost or in our everyday business dealings. William Booth stated, “Go for souls, and go for the worst,” even a recent national advertising campaign was, “The Army of Compassion.”
Compassion is not something we stand for; it is something that we are. Every relationship, every encounter and dealing we have with others should be seasoned by compassion.
Albert Orsborn, former General of The Salvation Army, obviously understood the importance of this key value for the Army when he penned the words to the following song.
The Savior of men came to seek and to save
The souls who were lost to the good;
His Spirit was moved for the world which he loved
With the boundless compassion of God.
And still there are fields where the laborers are few,
And still there are souls without bread,
And still eyes that weep where the darkness is deep,
And still straying sheep to be led.
Chorus
Except I am moved with compassion, How dwelleth thy Spirit in me?
In word and in deed, burning love is my need; I know I can find this in thee.
O is not the Christ 'midst the crowd of today
Whose questioning cries do not cease?
And will he not show to the hearts that would know
The things that belong to their peace?
But how shall they hear if the preacher forbear
Or lack in compassionate zeal?
Or how shall hearts move with the Master's own love,
Without his anointing and seal?
My prayer is that we will be as intentional on keeping compassion as our core value as Starbucks is about quality of their coffee.
Blessings,
d
