It's no secret that I love Starbucks. I know that many people have their own Starbucks story, but the coffee giant has started something new that you might be interested in.
"My Starbucks Idea" is an online think tank for Starbucks coffee lovers where they share how to improve the already successful franchise. Hearing what the customer thinks is important or what their needs are is crucial for any business to stay connected, relevant, and growing.
So often we make decisions without ever consulting those we make decisions about. In education this happens all the time. Legislators don't ask educators what they need before they enact new legislation or cut budgets. Even teachers don't assess the needs of their students before starting to teach something many of them may already know.
It is wasted time and wasted energy to do something that you aren't even sure is relevant to your customer, clients, students, or audience. It then becomes about "us" and not "them," and it's not about "us."
If you drink Starbucks coffee, check out My Starbucks Idea and put in your own two cents. If not, think about who you serve in your life and make an effort to find out what they really need.