We are a storytelling culture. You and your people tell stories all day long. You tell a story by the way you dress. You tell a story by the way you greet your family members or friends in the morning. The way you sit in meetings. The way you interact with clients. And every time you hit that send button on social media that blasts out into the world. The messages we send and the…
PayPal, one of the world’s largest online payment companies, was one of a handful of companies in 2015 to rank 100 percent on the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking study on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Not only was this a terrific honor for the company to receive and for employees to take great pride in, but they also ranked one hundred…
Longtime Starbucks President Howard Behar will headline the second annual Thermostat Cultures Live one-day retreat on Nov. 9 in Columbus, Ohio. Here, the executive-turned-author, speaker and consultant talks about culture, priorities and why he’s excited to team with Jason Barger for another life-shaking day. Q: You helped build one of the most groundbreaking corporate cultures in history at Starbucks. How did you manage that while building the company from 28 stores to 15,000? A: We did…
Stop for a second and think about what is popular in the world today. What are the popular restaurants? Experiences? Trends? How are most people moving through the world today? Consider the fact that we now live in a participatory world. Years ago, it was Starbucks who taught us that we didn’t just want a cup of coffee, we wanted to share in the creation of our own cup of coffee. Howard Behar, the former…
In this fast & ever-changing world, we need time and space to Step Back. Time to think, reflect, dream, connect. These moments are when breakthroughs and progress happen. Each year, I seek out time to do just that. I create space away from speaking, meeting and consulting so I can feed my own development. As July begins, so will my intentional time Stepping Back. Pictured above is my reading list—books I plan to enjoy and search for inspiration…
Recently, I was honored to speak in Las Vegas at the largest HR Conference in the world, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference. My topic was Growing An Engaged Culture and thousands upon thousands of people from all around the globe gathered to discuss honoring and improving the human element of organizations. On the same day that I spoke, legendary Duke Men’s Basketball Coach and Olympic Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke….
My kids love going to Dave & Buster’s—the giant arcade with life-size video games and blinking lights everywhere you turn. Even as they get older, they run from game to game with infectious smiles on their faces. They enjoy the games, but at this stage in their life (ranging between ages 7 and 12) the games aren’t what capture their imaginations the most. It’s the tickets. Each game has a certain number of tickets that…
With the proliferation of spam emails and junk solicitations in the world today, the word “unsubscribe” unfortunately has become quite common. Because we are enrolled so often in things we do not actually want and that clutter our lives and work, we have had to exercise the practice of “opting out.” We follow the trail of messages and buttons to say “get me out of here.” Opting out has become necessary in a world that…
Do you hear Yanny or Laurel? These questions have captivated our minds. People pick sides and arguments ensue. After hundreds of thousands of people weighed in online as to whether they hear yanny or laurel, votes were essentially split down the middle. I’ll save you some time and perhaps relationship strife: Both sides are right. We all know this leadership lesson, but it’s easy to forget: Everyone doesn’t see (or hear) things the same way…
Globally celebrated author, speaker and leadership coach Jason Barger is hosting the second annual Thermostat Cultures Live event in Columbus this fall featuring longtime Starbucks President Howard Behar and other culture visionaries. The intimate event, which is Nov. 9 at The Wells Barn at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, is an engaging day for leaders and change agents who are passionate about authentic leadership, meaningful connection and building compelling cultures. It includes conversations with national…
