[Flash] How Starbucks CEO Leveraged Reverse Mentoring to Plunge into His New Job

Before taking the reins from founder Howard Schultz, Laxman spent six months immersed in Starbucks cafés worldwide. During this time, he became a trained barista, learning to make favorite drinks while architecting a vision for the company’s future.

“This immersion experience informed my leadership role,” says Laxman.

Why did the new CEO plunge into coffee making before poring over the company’s financials? To understand the culture from the lens of the employees (called “Partners”). Laxman set out to discover first what it means to be a Starbucks Partner by experiencing it.

Through this adventure, Laxman allowed himself to see the business through their eyes.

He witnessed what he calls our “crisis in loneliness” and discovered, with input from Partners, Starbucks’ unique opportunity to address it. Together, they contemporized the company’s mission: “With every cup, with every conversation, with every community – we nurture the limitless possibility of human connection.”

Laxman’s impactful stint as a barista was Reverse Mentoring – he was mentored by people who essentially work for him.

Reverse mentoring occurs when a less tenured or experienced person mentors a more tenured or experienced person. For example, a Vice President chooses a recent graduate new hire to mentor her as she improves her social media strategies.

However, the most significant barrier to Reverse Mentoring is ego – the more miles under our feet, the less we think we need to learn, especially from anyone junior in age or experience.

But we can mitigate ego by focusing on the potential of Reverse Mentoring.

Giving people the opportunity to lead their leaders works to:

• Boost confidence
• Showcase expertise
• Engage people
• Expose potential
• Identify talent, skills, and ambition
• Spark interest in leadership
• Resist the “ivory tower” syndrome and the “certainty” trap
• Shift perspectives
• Disrupt hierarchical barriers stifled by job titles and layers
• Access learning across the organization
• Improve competence and confidence
• Promote listening, empathy, and compassion

Relentlessly curious, Laxman reflected in a recent interview, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” Lucky for Laxman, he’s got thousands of potential Mentors!

© 2023. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved.