Impactful Writing
A letter from the new CEO of Starbucks
If you’d like to see an example of impactful writing, read Brian Niccol’s letter from his first week as the new CEO of Starbucks.
Niccol previously spent an impactful six years at Chipotle, including tackling food safety concerns, doubling Chipotle’s revenue, increasing profits by seven times, and the stock price by eight times.
Hired to turnaround Starbucks’ decline, Niccol’s letter reminds us what Starbucks stands for, and what it’s North Star is. He shares it’s existing problems, identifies the U.S. stores as an early opportunity for improvement, and the four areas that he will begin working on.
His writing is clear, concise, and doesn’t use corporate jargon. It has a regular cadence, making it easier to follow.
As a fan and long time customer of Starbucks, I’ve been sad to experience their declining customer experience, food quality, and store cleanliness — as recently as this morning (even the process to send store feedback via the Starbucks website leaves a lot of room for improvement). I’m rooting for their turnaround.
Niccol and his team have a lot of hard work ahead to right the ship. But, a CEO who can communicate clearly to 400,000+ employees and hundreds of millions of customers and shareholders around the world is a good start.
Today, I’m making a commitment: We’re getting back to Starbucks. We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. This is our enduring identity. We will innovate from here.
- Brian Niccol | September 10th, 2024
