“Change brings discomfort — and that’s the point.” – Brian Niccol
At Salesforce Dreamforce, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol delivered one of the clearest leadership messages of the year.
By openly acknowledging the biggest mistake he made in his first year, Niccol offered a rare masterclass in modern executive leadership.
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Niccol explained his first major misstep:
“We had taken the tactic like, ‘hey, we just got to get this business turned around…’
The reality is we needed to get into conversation from day one so people understood, transparently, what we are trying to do.”
This single admission highlights the first rule of modern leadership:
Transformation begins with communication.
Lesson 1: Silence kills transformation — communication is a leadership responsibility
Niccol admits Starbucks waited too long to re-tell its cultural and strategic story.
“We needed to figure out how to tell our story again — in the right channels and in a culturally relevant way.”
When leaders communicate late, confusion fills the gap.
Lesson 2: Change is uncomfortable — and leaders must run toward discomfort
Niccol’s most shared quote is a reminder CEOs rarely hear but desperately need:
“If you’re waiting for others to give you consent or support, you’re going to be waiting for a while — because you’re asking people to change. And in change is discomfort.”
Leaders who wait for universal buy-in never lead transformation.
Lesson 3: Hard decisions aren’t meant to please — they’re meant to move the company forward
Starbucks’ “Back to Starbucks” initiative brought layoffs, store closures, and operational redesigns.
Niccol stands firm:
“The job of a leader is to take all that information, make a decision, galvanize everybody around that decision, and then be comfortable with moving forward.”
Leadership is not a consensus exercise — it’s a clarity exercise.
Lesson 4: Cultural resistance is not neutral — it becomes cultural cancer
Niccol delivered his most controversial point:
“You have to recognize that there are people that aren’t comfortable with the decision…
and you’re going to need to ask them to go somewhere else because it can become a cancer on your culture.”
Organizations don’t fall because of change.
They fall because of resistance to change.
Lesson 5: The leader sets the cultural pace — not the brand, not the market
Niccol emphasizes that Starbucks stands for more than coffee — and its CEO must define that meaning daily:
“Starbucks stands for more than coffee — it’s up to me to set the pace and communicate its mission.”
This is the essence of executive leadership:
You are the strategy. You are the culture. You are the story.
New York Business Leadership Center Analysis — Why This Conversation Matters
Brian Niccol’s statements reinforce three fundamental truths in today’s business world:
1) CEOs are no longer just operational leaders; they are cultural storytellers.
2) Change projects fail when executed silently.
3) Leadership is the art of courage, communication, and alignment—not a popularity contest.
Starbucks showed the world today that turnaround begins with leadership communication, not just menu or technology.
“In every transformation, leaders must communicate early, decide decisively, and remove cultural friction fast — because speed and clarity are now the ultimate competitive advantage.”
— Hillier Consulting
One Question for Leaders
When you’re undertaking a major transformation at your company, are you telling your story early enough and through the right channels?
And more importantly:
Could you be stalling by waiting for approval?
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