Inspired By Howard Schultz's Upward Spiral Campaign
I hadn’t heard of Howard Schultz's Upward Spiral campaign until Duncan Niederauer, the CEO of the NYSE, mentioned it at a breakfast meeting this week. The moment I heard the term I was intrigued, and as soon as I learned more, I became committed.
Schultz, who is the chief executive of Starbucks, has created a campaign to "set in motion an ‘upward spiral’ of confidence in our country and its economy." According to the group’s Facebook page “Upward Spiral encourages individuals and businesses to join together in an effort to help our nation’s elected officials hear our collective voice and to prompt our national leaders to take the necessary action to restore trust and confidence in the US economy.”
How brilliant is this? If you believe in the power of positive thinking - as I do - you will be a convert immediately. And if you run a business like I do, I hope you will join me in signing Mr. Shultz’s pledge to increase hiring among American companies. Positive action is infectious, Schultz argues, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Positive action is what most entrepreneurs understand to be at the core of success. The ability to wake up every single day excited to move the ball forward - no matter what the challenges. In the depth of the recession of 2008, when things looked the bleakest for our firm and our industry, my colleagues—my army of entrepreneurs—tapped into this power to keep our company in growth mode. If we can as a nation band together and create an avalanche of hope and positive action, we can break the current cycle in inspire growth.
I have to say, I've never been much of a coffee drinker, which means I am not a regular Starbucks customer. But with that said, I am so impressed with Schultz, his vision and his action that I will certainly find a way to put down a Starbucks cup of Joe more often. Hats off to a great leader with a powerful idea! 