At Caribou Coffee, a company known for its arms-wide-open culture, CEO Mike Tattersfield lives by the mantra "listening, developing, recognizing" when it comes to employees. Unconventional tools to that end? Watermelons and Chuck Taylors.
To understand how a company known for its arms-wide-open culture manages to sustain it, look no further than the corner office at Caribou Coffee.
There you’ll find Mike Tattersfield--at a desk that doubles as a foosball table--surrounded by action shots of his employees’ feet, clad in customized Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers (more on that later). “It’s a conversation starter,” admits Tattersfield with a hearty laugh, but the photos represent his larger vision for the company: “Listening, developing, recognizing,” and a cornerstone for its innovation process.
As the second largest company-owned coffeehouse operator in the U.S., Tattersfield says the philosophy’s infused at ground level, that is, starting in Caribou’s 585 locations in 21 states and 9 international locations. The atmosphere is casual and has the kind of community vibe more often found at independent shops, he explains. Tattersfield touts the vision as encouraging a strong bond with the customer. Don’t be surprised, he says, if you drive up to the window and the barista asks you to sing the next verse of a song on the radio to get a cup on the house.
“We try to have measurable connection at the store level,” says Tattersfield. That means cafe staff is charged with coming up with games and having fun. “It breaks down barriers and creates a great story line,” he maintains, all while fostering the neighborly feeling that makes customers want to keep coming back.
At the corporate level, Tattersfield mined his own career to come up with a way to recognize and reward talent. Growing up in Mexico City with an entrepreneurial father led Tattersfield to his first job. In a venture supplying potatoes to Frito Lay, 13-year old Tattersfield was tasked with un...
[Source: Fast Company]
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