1. Massive leadership change
Schultz has been with the company since its earliest days, steering it through rocky times to growth in more than 70 countries and cementing the notion of Starbucks as the “third place,” a community hangout, in America. His departure at the end of this month ushers in a new regime, currently headed by Johnson. “I tend to be much more data-driven and analytical, and I’m bringing that to Starbucks,” Johnson said at the conference. “But I'm also very appreciative and respectful of the creative and the emotional aspects of the brand. Certainly, I tend to bring a much more disciplined approach to picking the priorities, and that's because in my experience, at scale, if you pick the right priorities and you put the resources and energy behind them, you move the needle.”
Johnson said he plans to move the company from a “hub-and-spoke” leadership model to a “distributed” style of leadership.