Letting Our Values Out

The Starbucks coffee chain shuttered its stores for three hours February 26. The temporary closure ostensibly afforded the stores uninterrupted time for the stores to re-train their baristas (those who make the coffee for you in a Starbucks).

While the 7,100 stores lost an estimated and combined $2 million to $4 million in sales because of the shutdown, the company was hopeful the event would reap dividends from increased profits when customers, who are excited about the company’s apparent renewed interest in offering a better (and more consistent) product, stormed the stores for a “truly exceptional espresso beverage.”

Yet surveys taken days after the stores reopened revealed less than half of those polled (of those who knew the stores closed in the first place) knew why the stores had locked the doors for three hours on the 26th.

In fact, one public relations know-it-all said the chain actually raised more awareness of quality issues within the stores and less of the company’s attempt to address coffee and service issues with the widely promoted, mid-day nationwide training event.

A friend of mine, who is the closest person I know to being a Starbucks aficionado, told me he couldn’t discern any difference. The Café Breve latte I had at Starbucks before the event didn’t taste any different than the one I had over the weekend. In fairness, I have to note that the company is known for its frequent and ongoing training for its employees.

In the video that all 135,000 Starbucks employees (company stores only) watched on February 26, the firm’s chief executive, Howard Schultz said: “If that beverage is not good enough, please pour it out. Let’s measure our actions by that perfect shot of espresso.”

The bottom-line: Your values will find you out (Luke 6:45). Changing our behavior will rarely lead to a change in our beliefs. Yet a change in our beliefs (value set) will lead to dramatic changes in our behavior.

While people form their attitudes about us from our speech and our behavior, the root of who we are rests deep within our soul. For better or worse, it’s nearly impossible—over the long run—to mask who we really are. Our true convictions are reflected in how we live our life when we let our values out. If our heart is right with God, the whole of our behavior will likely also be.