Brand Champion of the Day- Todd Jefferson, Store Manager, Starbucks

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the Brand Champion of the Day is Todd Jefferson. Todd is a Store Manager for Starbucks. I was recently introduced to Todd from a former colleague of mine. As you know, I am a huge fan of Starbucks and I continually sing the praises of that organization. I think of all the best practices in branding that I present, Starbucks is the one organization that consistently delivers on its mission and values. They understand the importance of valuing their employees, and realize the benefit of recruiting and retaining brand champions. Here is what Todd wanted to share with us today about what it means to be a brand champion of Starbucks.

"Prior to coming on board with Starbucks, I worked in the telecommunications industry for about 10 ½ years. I loved working in that field, and thought I might do so forever. There was a Starbucks near my office that I frequented and I was amazed that all of the employees seemed to always be happy. I realized that was an environment that I would like to work in too. So I contacted Starbucks to inquire about working for them. At the time I did not know anything about the mission or guiding principles of the organization.

Like most employees (we call them partners), I started off working as a Barista. At the time I also went back to school to get my MBA. I quickly moved up to shift supervisor, assistant manager, and now I manage my own Starbucks store. At about the time I started working for Starbucks, the company was considering expanding our offerings of food and beverage. However, we soon realized that we may have lost our focus, which is providing excellent customer service', providing the highest quality beverage, and other aspects of the company that were at the core of our business. You probably know that in the last year or so Howard Schultz re-engaged himself into the business and is committed to bringing the company back to basics.

It was almost like we had to rediscover our mission and guiding principles. First and foremost, we have reminded ourselves that we must respect the dignity of our partners. Secondly, we know that we must embrace diversity and we must be involved in our community, as well as our other business principles. By incorporating our mission and principles into everything we do, from new hire orientation to training and development, employees are reminded of their reason for coming into the company, and staying. I know I do."

Todd, thank you so much for taking time to share some thoughts with us today. I look forward to my next visit to Starbucks. I am sure it will be before the end of the day. What are some Starbucks experiences that you would like to share today?