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Onward

How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul

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Onward

Written by: Howard Schultz, Joanne Gordon
Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
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About this listen

In 2008, Howard Schultz, the president and chairman of Starbucks, made the unprecedented decision to return as CEO, eight years after he stepped down from daily oversight of the company to become chairman. Concerned that Starbucks had lost its way, Schultz was determined to help it return to its core values and restore not only its financial health, but also its soul. In Onward, he shares the remarkable story of the company's ongoing transformation under his leadership, revealing how, during one of the most tumultuous economic times in history, Starbucks again achieved profitability and sustainability without sacrificing humanity.

A compelling, candid narrative documenting the maturing of a brand as well as a businessman, Onward represents Schultz's central leadership philosophy: It's not just about winning, but the right way to win.

©2011 Howard Schultz. (P)2011 HighBridge Company
Management & Leadership Marketing & Sales Personal Success Professionals & Academics Small Business & Entrepreneurship Business
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What the critics say

"This is a must-read for anyone interested in leadership, management, or the quest to connect a brand with the consumer." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Onward

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Fantastic!

Great story about transformation within a large organization. Very well written and narrated. Very much enjoyed with a good coffee.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Business Book

Definitely recommended for people interested in businesses. Personally one of my favourites.

There are many business lessons to be learned here. The main one is what can happen to an organization of any size when profits and short term gains, get on the driver seat over long term vision, identity and routes.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

once you get past the sales pitch, it's an ok book

A nice view from the CEO's desk on a company overcoming change. Largely it's short on details. The book does achieve its principal goal of acting as advertising for Starbucks and self promotion for the author who constantly reminds us how much he loves his employees, while glossing over mass layoffs. Overall, it was a fairly easy read and talks about the value of branding, the dangers of expanding too fast and the pulls and challenges of being in the big seat

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Essential read

This is an awesome book that will give you lots of little nuggets of information that will serve you throughout your life. I also highly recommend Howard’s other books as well

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book but could have been shorter

It was an overall good book. Everything that was said, could have been said in a shorter time.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Meh. Not enough business learning

I'm a big fan of autobiographies. But this one left to desire. It's mostly a Starbucks marketing book, not much value added content unless you're a huge fan of Starbucks. I also found the reader tries to sound dramatic all the time which gets tiring when you're listening to the book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Interesting story- worth listening to

This was a very interesting story. If you are a fan of the coffee the story is worth listening to.

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Excellent

Excellent book. Why the CEO came back, how he did it, the thinking behind the various decisions. I personally found it fascinating. I listened with a cup of Starbucks instant coffee in my hand, ground Starbucks in my freezer and, when I got hungry I found myself scrolling through a delivery app to get Starbucks to my door…. held off and laughed at myself. A good example of how, even when I’m not consciously planning to patronize Starbucks, they are already part of my life. The stories behind the instant coffee, the food items and the espresso machines were all very interesting!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Was Okay

Easy to listen, but was expecting more substance from a successful company. Felt the story was watered down. Was okay overall.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent production but too promotional

I was expecting a better history of what happened. It was a little too self-promotional at moments. I had the impression that I was in a 9 hours Starbucks publicity.

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