From Barista to Boardroom: Lessons about Life and Leadership from a Career in Coffee
Part autobiography and part business memoir, former Starbucks vice president Christine McHugh shares how she went from serving single shots to creating programs adopted by stores worldwide.
From a young age, Christine McHugh dreamed of finding a place in the bigger world outside her hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska. Inspired by members of her family and the confident businesswomen she saw when visiting Seattle, she packed her bags, enrolled in community college, and took a job slinging espresso at the local coffee chain-a modest thirty-seven-store operation called Starbucks. Presented with the opportunity to move into store management, she promptly quit school and dove headfirst into a career that would span twenty-seven years.
In From Barista to Boardroom, McHugh describes her own nontraditional path up the corporate ladder, sharing lessons learned from taking a year off midcareer to backpack around the world, navigating motherhood as a corporate executive, and going back to school at the age of forty. McHugh's personal struggles and moments of triumph, told with frank vulnerability, are an inspiration to anyone looking for an extra shot of motivation to write their own story and craft a worthwhile career.
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"Christine C. McHugh has written From Barista to Boardroom as an honest, direct, and emotional account of her career at Starbucks. She has a remarkable ability to share her journey and experiences in an absolutely authentic way." -Howard Behar, former Starbucks president and author of It's Not About the Coffee
"From Barista to Boardroom is a captivating, inspiring story of one woman's emergence from humble beginnings to the top ranks of corporate America. Along the way, we are treated to fascinating insights about the inner workings of an iconic global brand and the role Christine played in restoring the company's reputation for and commitment to quality and customer service. Ultimately, we learn how courageous choices can make all the difference." -Marguerite Kondracke, Bright Horizons Family Solutions cofounder and former CEO
"Christine C. McHugh takes readers on the incredible journey of her development as a leader, her balancing of personal triumphs and tragedies, and the challenges of navigating the corporate world through the evolution of a global brand. You will be inspired to live your truth and not get caught up in the "shoulds" of life. This is the human experience on full display. . . and masterfully told." -Joe Thornton, HMSHost EVP/COO and author of The Hostility of Change: Breaking Through Deep-Seated Barriers
"Christine McHugh takes us on a very poignant journey of a woman developing herself as a leader in her life and career. Her unvarnished portrait of the challenges and triumphs of moving up the ranks while navigating a complex and political environment in a Fortune 200 company is compelling." -Margo Downs, former chief human resources officer, Stitch Fix and Lululemon
