From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America

From The Ground Up offers an extremely personal account of the struggles that former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz faced as child, which inspired him to reimagine the role of corporate America in society, and to create the Starbucks company that we know today.

Schultz provides a candid account of several disasterous business decisions, such as his purchase of part ownership in the Seattle Supersonics, the Race Together Starbucks campaign to promote discussions about race equality, and an incidence of racial profiling that occurred in a Starbucks store in Philadelphia. Along with each failure described in the book is an inspiring turnaround story about how Starbucks responded with compassion and humility. Schultz's leaderful acts while at the helm derive from his quest to answer such questions as, 'Who are we today, and what kind of company do we want to be? How does Starbucks serve the public today, and how can we ensure lasting change? He was driven to set an example for how companies should behave in relation to its shareholders, and driven to create the company that his father never had the opportunity to work for.

The promise of America is that we may all have equal opportunity for security and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of our station in life. This book provides details of specific examples in which Starbucks mobilized its resources in order to provide a level playing field in instances where societal inequality was identified. Such examples include the 100,000 Opportunities Fair and Forum - a mass job fair designed to provide networking skills and job opportunities to troubled youth, hiring initiatives for army veterans and racial minorities, partnerships with ASU to provide higher education opportunities for employees, funding iniatives for projects to reinvigorate dying local economies, extending healthcare coverage to parents of employees in China, where filial piety is a sacred part of culture, and more.

Via these examples and anecdotes, Schultz redefines the role and responsibility of a for-profit company in society - to try to enhance communities and be a positive voice, a collaborater, a convener, a listener, an emphathizer, an educator, a volunteer, a sharer, and an innovater. This book is an inspiring must-read for all aspiring business leaders.