Onward

How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul

By: Howard Schultz, Joanne Gordon

Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby

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

Critic reviews

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

Great Book

loved the. book, very interesting and insightful. really enjoyed hearing the Starbucks history and many struggles.

Great insight into Starbucks

I found this book to be fascinating and gave me a new appreciation for the values and choices that are behind the business. It is great to see how the company that seemed to epitomize "excess" during the recession reinvent itself and come out on top. A few parts get a little too "inside baseball" but overall, a great listen.

not great

dragged and dragged with indepth boring details. felt like it could have been 1/2 the length and the same story

A good lesson for any company

I had read Howard Schultz first book and was already a fan of Starbucks but this book made me even more of a fan. Starbucks is one of those rair companies who manages to stay true to ther roots and their small store beliefs even after they turn public and have thousands of stores. But this is the story or a turn around, of seeing the problems even before they affect the bottom line, of making hard decisions, of treating their people, and customers right. I learned a lot from this book and if your at all interested in Starbucks as a company, or if you have a company that's having trubble, then I recommend this to you. The only drawback, and it's a small one is the reading style is a little slow. I wished at times that Bowlby would speed things up a bit.

great but slow at times.

The book was very interesting as far as learning about Starbucks company history but the personal story of Howard was sometimes a struggle to get through due to his high views of every single decision he has ever made. he basically comes off very over confident. other than that great book