Howard Schultz, the well-known head of Starbucks, grew up in public housing in Brooklyn in humble circumstances.   His is a rags-to-riches success story.

A prime reason for Schultz’s success was his mother.  Always encouraging, always upbeat…she told Schultz…“you’re going to be the first person to go to college, you’re going to be a professional, you’re going to make us all proud.”  He did!

In The Power of Professionalism we advocate how important it is for leaders to reinforce their staff’s identity of themselves as professionals.  That’s precisely what Schultz’s mother did for him—at a very young age.  She instilled in Schultz a desire to be a professional.

In Schultz’s case, his desire was born at a young age. Schultz’s mother was explicit in her exhortation. Leaders must do likewise!

Note: the quote in paragraph two comes from Charles Duhigg’s terrific new book The Power of Habit (page 148).

 

Bill Wiersma is the founder and principal of Wiersma and Associates—a management consulting and training firm. Bill is a trusted advisor to executive leadership on senior team development and organizational culture. A renowned thought leader, Wiersma’s The Power of Professionalism is driving the way people think about professionals and, more importantly, changing the way professionals view themselves.

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