Inspiration in a coffee cup

We look to models of success when launching a business or attempting to improve what we are already doing. We try to learn from other people's mistakes and look out for things people do really well and adapt them to our ventures.

We also look to thought leaders for opinions, inspiration and innovation. Two recently headed into Bangkok - both huge sellers of books on what could be called life management theory.

Jack Canfield, the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, a book that has sold eight million copies worldwide, expounded on the benefits of visualisation and belief as keys to success.

Speaking with the energy of a religious zealot, Mr Canfield shared an anecdote with the audience, according to one senior executive present, that he once stuck an oversized cheque for US$10 million on the wall with the belief that through constant visualisation he'd achieve this target through sales of his books. He did.

For many it is hard to believe. It all seems a bit touchy-feely - a lot of hocus pocus designed to hype the profiles of the business speakers/evangelists themselves rather than to tangibly contribute to the success of a company.

But there is a lot to be said for belief - starting with the self-belief in what you are doing that will infectiously spreads to your staff.

Martin Lindstrom, author of one of the best branding books over the last two years, Brand Sense (995 baht, Free Press, hardback) has an interesting chapter on belief that is essential reading for all marketers and executives.

Then last week, Ken Blanchard came to town courtesy of Global Leaders, bringing with him his own spin on life management, and lit up the audience with his ideas that drew inspiration from nature.

Here to promote his new book, Leading at a Higher Level (850 baht, Prentice Hall, hardback), the co-author of the 13-million selling One Minute Manager (350 baht, Harper Collins, paperback), revealed his theory of Gung Ho that drew on the choices animals make such as squirrels, beavers and geese as metaphors for the importance of worthwhile work, control over your goals and cheering each others on.

While this is all very well and good, the proof is in the eating, and a company that has done its fair share of that is Starbucks, one of the most spectacular business success stories of the past decade.

Since its public offering in 1992, the company has mushroomed to boast revenues of more than US$6.5 billion a year with 9,500 locations worldwide and stores opening at the rate of five a day.

Two recent books have been written about the US coffee conglomerate that try to get to grips with some of the secrets to its success.

One is Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture (695 baht, Kaplan Publishing, hardback) by the Starbucks insider John Moore, who reveals the behind-the-scenes stories that catapulted Starbucks to international business stardom.

In a relaxed, conversational style, Mr Moore offers 75 lessons, including High Price-Low Price Strategy; You Are Not Your Customer; Marketing Always Has Two Audiences: Consumers and Employees; and Think High Touch (Not High Tech).

But the greatest thing one takes away from this book is insight into the passionate tribe mentality that Starbucks instils in its employees, that feeds through to their customers, so all stakeholders, whether selling the product or buying it, feel they are truly making a difference.

It discusses how Starbucks lives its mission statement - it doesn't just hang it on the wall; how principled and cause-related marketing endears customers to the brand; how and why diversions from the core business into a literary magazine and full-service restaurants failed; and how its focus on employee growth helps retain and build a passionate workforce.

It also proves that it is possible to practise the theory that Blanchard and Canfield were espousing in Bangkok.

It is a great shame then that the other book, The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary (850 baht, McGraw Hill, hardback) by Joseph Michelli was such a disappointment.

Described in the recent edition of World Business (http://www.worldbusinesslive.com) as a book that "reads like a love letter from a 14-year-old girl to the lead singer of a boy band", it's a book one might be better off avoiding.

Fawning and self-congratulatory, this is more of an indictment of the publishing industry, eager to churn out books on a subject that "works" rather than something that has real value. Sadly, this reads more like an advertorial than the "rich mix of ideas for businesses" it purports to achieve.

Still, one out of two ain't bad, and while one may be better used as a doorstop, the other would be well suited to sitting on a desk within easy reach for serious leafing to discover really how to drive a dynamic and passionate company.

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