‘SEMPER GUMBY’


“You come to work at Starbucks, and every day is a little different,” he said.


“You might have a plan, but you’ve got to change”—not too different from being a Marine recruiter. Now, as he recruits veterans and active-duty spouses, he sees the need for similar skills: “I think just being versatile and being able to be—in the Marine Corps we called it ‘Semper Gumby.’ Here we call it just [being] flexible.” Tice thinks that veterans and active-duty spouses, whether from the Marine Corps or not, bring a lot of that valuable Semper Gumby spirit to the company.


For Tice, the common theme throughout his careers—as Marine recruiter, stay- at-home dad, Starbucks’ manager for military recruitment—is connection, that is, creating understanding among people who otherwise might not understand the Marines or Starbucks. “[Starbucks’] core values are very similar to [those of] the military. I often say that in the Marine Corps, the two objectives of leadership are mission accomplishment and troop welfare. And [at] Starbucks,


the two


objectives of our business are legendary customer service and taking care of part- ners. And they just match so well.”


Here’s the in-depth discussion that Army AL&T had with Tice on Aug. 28.


Army AL&T: Starbucks has been around in its present state for more than 25 years. What are the biggest changes the com- pany has seen in its workforce since then? How have you adapted (your training, your recruiting, etc.) as a result?


Tice: Our partners—what Starbucks calls its employees, [which number some 300,000]—have always been at the core of our business. For over 40 years, we have hired passionate people who create inspired moments of connection with


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our customers every day. Although the company has grown, what has remained the same is our commitment to investing in the people who create the Starbucks Experience for more than 70 million cus- tomers per week, in more than 21,000 stores in 65 countries around the world. From beverages, such as the pumpkin spice latte that customers look forward to every fall, to locally relevant store designs, such as our New Orleans store, which honors the artistic spirit of the commu- nity, we’re always looking to preserve and encourage the human connection with every decision we make.


We hire and retain great people and are always looking for top talent and the right cultural fit to ensure our future success— people with a passion for coffee, service and their communities. When you come


in, you should have this wonderful encounter with our partners and really have an engaging interaction. Starbucks is about a journey, and the Starbucks Experience is kind of that journey you have within our stores.


We call [the stores] snowflakes, because they’re each designed with the commu- nity in mind that they will serve or be a part of. Starbucks is huge in being a part of [the local] community. So bring- ing that design element to that store with the outlying community piece is integral, and ensuring that we capture what’s there [in the community] to provide that Star- bucks Experience in its entirety. We have regional offices with designers in them that go around looking at where we’re going to either remodel or build a new store. Tey have a formula where they


SINGULARLY STARBUCKS Every fall Starbucks offers its pump- kin spice latte to warm the season, not to mention strengthening its brand identity with customers. (Photo courtesy of Starbucks Corp.)


Army AL&T Magazine


October–December 2014


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