It’s not exactly the same kind of bean I’ve been talking about here (coffee beans that is) but I’ll soon be headed to start a new chapter, in a new city…BOSTON! Also known as…Beantown!
I’m quickly discovering that Boston is a city all about the history. When I first heard it referred to as Beantown, I wondered…why? Thanks, Yahoo for an answer:
In Colonial days, Boston was part of the triangular trade, in which “slaves in the Caribbean grew sugar cane to be shipped to Boston to be made into rum to be sent to West Africa to buy more slaves to send to the West Indies.” Confusing, isn’t it? Because of this trade, the area was chock-full of molasses, and beans baked in the gooey syrup became very popular in Boston, thereby earning the city the nickname “Beantown.”
But whether it’s baked beans or coffee beans…I’m a little in awe, and thrilled, that my new city has such an appropriate nickname.
My thoughts are now tied up in a several topics around coffee as I make this radical shift from the Starbucks Support Center to a field-based role as a learning business partner in Region 8 and Licensed Stores Northeast:
1) How does my engagement with coffee shift? What does “being in the know” on coffee begin to mean in this new role, and new location?
2) Letting go of the old, and embracing the new with ferocious energy. What new opportunities are there to connect in coffee in different ways? With store and field partners?
3) What challenges to field partners face in staying connected with coffee? How will I change or evolve their thinking?
4) How do I keep my old friends, family, and fantastic coworkers continually inspired and engaged in new and creative ways, from across the country? What can I continue to embed in their capability while I’m still here, and how will I continue to engage with them in new and different ways?
5) How do I continue exploring and embracing Blonde, encouraging other partners to do the same, and help Starbucks take a bite out of the Dunkin’ hold?
6) How do I add value to a team already credited with leading our US business in coffee, and leverage my role as a learning business partner to help our operators drive coffee in the stores, and not only hit but exceed the fiscal year targets in the NEA?
More to come as I make my way east and begin to tackle these questions, putting my own coffee curiosity to the test!
aloveforthebean 