You've come a long way, baby!

Tuesday afternoon. I am at the store, training a new partner, while my district manager looks on. I don't know it, but my highly anticipated promotion is on the table. I had been told my interview for my promotion would not be for another 2-4 weeks.

The district manager spoke with most of the partners in the store that day, one by one. So, when my store manager told me to go sit down and talk to Jon, I didn't really think anything of it. Yes, I was nervous, because I've spent the last month and a half trying to secure the promotion to shift supervisor, and every impression matters, but not nearly as nervous as I would have been had I known it was my actual interview.

So, it went really well... and I got the promotion. I was shocked. I did not even know I was interviewing right then and there... I just thought the district manager was quizzing me about Starbucks, which was fine with me, because I love to talk about Starbucks and coffee. This promotion is something I have wanted for over a year, and I think it came at just the right time for both the company and myself. If it had come earlier, I would not have been in the right state of mind to take it on properly, with the right amount of enthusiasm, knowledge, and maturity. If it had come much later, I would have started to become disgruntled, because my hard work and cultivated skills were being ignored. It is a good time for the company because, well, let's face it: the economy is not good right now, and that's not good for business. Starbucks, like many other businesses, is seeing a downturn in sales. On top of that, we are in the middle of restructuring our company. In my new position, I will have a greater capacity for sharing the passion I feel both about coffee and about Starbucks. As both my new store and the company turn the corner and go in a new direction, I will be able to contribute positively, and the company needs people who are passionate right now. I might say that we need passionate people as much now as we did when Starbucks was still a very young company.

I also recently celebrated my 18 months with the company. I cannot believe how much I have grown in the last eighteen, twelve, even six months. Obviously, I have learned volumes about coffee. Less obviously, I have learned even more about myself, leadership, and other people, both individuals and in general. As a result, I can deal with situations at work and in my personal life in a more constructive manner. I am better at taking things in stride. Just when I think I have grown more than I ever could in a particular period of time, I grow some more. I am a more mature, more professional, happier person. I have never loved a job this much or felt this comfortable with a company. It is a rare, beautiful thing to work for a company with values that match your own as intensely as the values of Starbucks match mine. I feel like I belong here. I guess the district manager feels the same way.

I cannot tell you how good it felt to repeatedly nail the questions he was asking me. Not only was I talking about two of my favorite things, Starbucks and coffee, but it felt good to instinctively know my answers were right. I can rely on the instincts I have because my values just matched with that of Starbucks so seamlessly and easily. Things just make sense. The logic in my brain can eat away at any piece of policy, and it always comes out making a lot of sense.

I am so excited about my promotion. This is going to be a long learning journey, and I cannot wait to get started. It could not have happened with a better company or at a better time in my life.