Two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks for doing absolutely nothing. A photograph of the incident was seen around the world. It was a potential disaster for Starbucks. Recognizing that, CEO Kevin Johnson immediately came out and announced that Starbucks was going to put it right. He said the store manager had been wrong to call the police. It was wrong to have the men arrested. The only ones not in the wrong were the two men waiting inside the Starbucks. Not only did Johnson apologize, but he announced that 175,000 Starbucks employees in the United States would undergo unconscious bias training. You could say it was a textbook example of how to handle a PR disaster. But it's deeper than that for Starbucks. If you look at the company's values and mission statements, the CEO was simply practicing what Starbucks preaches. In trying to put things right, Johnson was making sure the company was living up to its principles. This is a lesson for every other CEO out there: Don't head for the hills at the first sign of disaster like Facebook and Equifax. Take a sip from Starbucks' cup and face it head-on. Do what's right. Your investors and your customers will thank you for it. -Richard.Quest@cnn.com |
No comments:
Post a Comment