Starbucks' CEO demonstrates decisive leadership and a clear vision

The last few years have been bumpy for the coffeehouse chain. The company has had four CEOs since 2022 and rotated between different strategies. The result is often chaotic store operations, three consecutive quarters of declining same-store sales, and a brand that falls by the wayside. Niccol, who turned around Chipotle Mexican Grill before joining Starbucks, was poached from the burrito chain in August in an effort to halt Starbucks' decline. Wall Street was so relieved by the news that the coffee company's shares shot up 24% the day his new role was announced.

While Niccol had already hinted at some elements of his strategy and leadership style in recent days, he detailed his “back to Starbucks” plan on the earnings call. More importantly, he has emerged as a decisive CEO who knows how to communicate a path forward.

“It is clear that we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers and return to growth,” Niccol told Wall Street analysts.

The CEO announced a series of additional initiatives aimed at refocusing Starbucks on the fundamentals of its business and reversing measures that had slowed operations and frustrated customers. That includes the return of self-serve milk and sugar stations to thousands of U.S. cafes starting in 2025, allowing customers to choose how much they want to put in their drink instead of asking a barista. Starbucks will no longer charge customers extra for non-dairy milk alternatives. And Niccol mentioned reducing the complex menu and introducing “common sense guardrails” for mobile ordering.

Niccol demonstrated this type of quick action and determination at Chipotle in 2018 when he was hired to help the company recover from a devastating food safety crisis that was made worse by top management. Wall Street analysts expressed relief that those qualities were on display again during the Starbucks call.

The new CEO's address provided “a clear and detailed vision for the future and ambitious, like the Starbucks brand at its best,” Morgan Stanley wrote in a note, according to Investing.com. Niccol's performance also earned him some praise from Stifel, whose analysts wrote that Niccol “delivered his message with a level of clarity and precision that is typically the hallmark of a talented executive.”

The focus on returning to a “welcoming coffeehouse” and clarity around that vision is exactly what Starbucks employees and customers alike need after an extended period of turmoil. For years, Starbucks promoted its stores as a “third place” besides the home or office where customers could relax. But a few years ago it was decided to focus on converting branches into mobile order hubs. Not only did this lead to chaotic pickup traffic at peak times, it also made Starbucks' products feel more like a commodity than an experience, and caused the size of some stores to shrink.

Even Howard Schultz, the man who built Starbucks from a single coffee shop in Seattle's Pike Market into a global behemoth, said earlier this year that “the luster of the brand was missing.” It didn't help that Schultz, who initially retired in 2000 but later returned twice as CEO, undermined his hand-picked successor, Laxman Narasimhan, with a critical post on LinkedIn. During his third term as CEO, Schultz also angered store employees at a time of strained relations between the company and employees.

So far, Niccol has only asked for one area to be reviewed: the company's return-to-the-office policy. Starting next year, Starbucks employees will have to work in person three days a week or risk being fired. However, the new CEO has permission to remain based in Southern California rather than move to Seattle, where Starbucks is headquartered. When asked for comment, Starbucks responded Assets that Niccol will travel extensively throughout the United States and internationally to visit stores and suppliers abroad, and will also spend most of his time in Seattle. However true this may be, it creates the appearance of a double standard that could undermine some of his efforts.

But after all the Sturm und Drang surrounding Starbucks in recent years, the greatest favor a CEO can do the company and its troops is to clearly articulate and articulate the path forward.

“We need to make it easier for our customers to get a cup of coffee,” Niccol said on the conference call. This is exactly the kind of simplicity and plain language that everyone involved needs.

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