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Starbucks announced its third-quarter financial results on Tuesday, July 29, presenting a company in a high-stakes race to institute major changes, but not quite there. The coffee chain reported its sixth quarter in a row of declining same-store sales. These numbers dropped 2% globally, though most stores outside North America reported flat sales. In the United States, a 2% drop was better than the 2.5% decline that Wall Street had predicted, according to consensus estimates cited by CNBC. In China, Starbuckss second largest market, comparable store sales increased by 2% due to a rise in transactions. While our financial results dont yet reflect all the progress weve made, the signs are clear were gaining momentum, Brian Niccol, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, stated in an accompanying video. Niccol, who joined Starbucks as chief executive in September of last year, previously orchestrated a turnaround at Chipotle Mexican Grill, following a food safety crisis at the burrito chain. Starbucks reported $9.5 billion in consolidated net revenuesan increase of 4%. ‘We’re ahead of schedule’ A pep talk from Niccol appears to have helped to satiate investors, with Starbucks stock (Nasdaq: SBUX) rising over 5% through after-hours and into premarket trading on Wednesday. Weve fixed a lot and done the hard work on the hard things to build a strong operating foundation, and based on my experience of turnarounds, we are ahead of schedule, Niccol stated in a release. In 2026, well unleash a wave of innovation that fuels growth, elevates customer service, and ensures everyone experiences the very best of Starbucks. Were building back a better Starbucks experience and a better business. Niccol has been championing a Back to Starbucks plan. It focuses on exceptional service, simplified routines, and deeper customer connections. Basically, Starbucks wants to rehumanize itself. This process includes expanding the assistant store manager role and internally hiring 90% of retail leadership. Oh, and Starbucks is bringing back seats. In an era of machines, mobile orders, and depersonalization, Niccol has decided that Starbuckss cafes should be warm, textured, and have ample seating.
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E-Commerce
Leaders known for their emotional intelligence often pride themselves on cultivating trust, psychological safety, and genuine connection with their teams. These are essential assets in any leadership toolkit, particularly in environments that rely on collaboration, creativity, or mission alignment. But inevitably, there are moments when these strengthsempathy, warmth, patienceneed to be supplemented with something sharper: clarity, candor, and the ability to speak directly when the situation calls for it. If you lead with empathy, you may already be adept at sensing how people are feeling and anticipating the downstream consequences of your words. But in certain moments, the harder leadership move isnt to hold space. Its to draw a line and provide someone a necessary reality check. Conversations like these often feel uncomfortable, but they ultimately serve the integrity of your team, your organization, or the individual themselves. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/acupofambition_logo.jpg","headline":"A Cup of Ambition","description":"A biweekly newsletter for high-achieving moms who value having a meaningful career and being an involved parent, by Jessica Wilen. To learn more visit acupofambition.substack.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/acupofambition.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} Confusing directness with harm Many conscientious leaders hesitate to be fully direct because they conflate honesty with harshness. The fear is understandable: no one wants to be perceived as punitive, cold, or unfeeling. So we delay giving feedbackhedging our language and prioritizing emotional comfort over organizational clarity. But avoiding the truth rarely protects peopleit usually disorients them. What erodes trust over time isnt directness; its the absence of it. Its the vague feedback that leaves a team member guessing. The unspoken performance concern that festers behind the scenes. The dissonance between whats said in public and whats whispered in private. Said differently: kindness without clarity is often just misplaced anxiety. Directness as a form of respect When a performance issue arises or a behavioral pattern needs to shift, its worth asking: What does this person deserve to know? Assuming your intent is constructivenot punitivebeing direct is a sign of respect. It assumes the person is capable of hearing hard truths and of responding thoughtfully. It also models the type of culture most high-performing teams want: one where feedback is not weaponized, but neither is it avoided. A few ways to ground a direct conversation in professionalism and respect: I want to have a conversation thats candid, because I take your role and your contribution seriously. This might be hard to hear, but I trust your ability to receive itand respond in a way that reflects your strengths. Im raising this because I value your place on the team and I want to make sure were aligned moving forward. This kind of framing cant mask a poorly handled messagebut it can open the door to a conversation grounded in mutual respect, rather than defensiveness. Delivering clarity without cruelty A direct conversation should be just thatdirect. That means no extended preamble, no hedging language, no passive-aggressive tone. Say what you need to say plainly, and without dramatizing or editorializing. Consider this structure: Signal the conversations purpose: I want to give you some candid feedback about how youre showing up on the team. Name the issue specifically: Youve missed several key deadlines this quarter, and its created ripple effects for others. Explain the impact: People are waiting on your contributions, and timelines are slipping. Its affecting morale. Invite dialogue: Im curious how youre seeing thisdo you agree with that assessment? Identify a clear next step or standard: We need to see improvement over the next month, and Im happy to support youbut the expectations are non-negotiable. This approach allows you to balance accountability with collaboration. It removes ambiguity while still inviting the other person into the solution. Anticipate discomfortbut dont personalize it Even a well-structured conversation may evoke a strong emotional response: frustration, embarrassment, disappointment, defensiveness. This is part of the processnot an indication youve mishandled the exchange. Resist the urge to over-explain, soften your message mid-stream, or rush in to repair the other persons reaction. If the message is true and necessary, the short-term discomfort is a feature of the process, not a bug. One helpful internal reframe: This may feel hard, but that doesnt mean its harmful. It means it matters. Of course, how you follow up also matters. If the person is emotionally reactive or distressed, you can acknowledge the emotion without retreating from the content. A simple I know that was a lot to take inlets revisit this in a few days after youve had a chance to reflect can provide space for integration while still maintaining accountability. Clarity shapes culture Handled well, these conversations arent just about individual performancethey shape your organizational culture. When feedback is delayed, filtered, or inconsistently delivered, teams become unclear about whats expected, whats tolerated, and what success actually looks like. Conversely, when leaders are willing to say the hard thingwith steadiness and respectit signals that performance standards matter, and that team dynamics are worth protecting. Direct communication becomes an act of stewardship: protecting the integrity of the organization, safeguarding the cohesion of the team, and supporting the growth of the individuals within it. Final thought Some people are naturally more direct; others more sensitive to tone and relationship dynamics. But having hard conversations isnt about personalityits about discipline. Its a practice. And like any other leadership muscle, it gets stronger with use. For the empathic leader, the goal isnt to stop caring or to suppress emotional intelligence. Its to channel those qualities into a leadership style thats both principled and effective. The best leaders dontchoose between empathy and clarity. They hold both. And they have the courage to speak candidlyeven when its uncomfortablebecause they understand that clarity is what allows empathy to be sustainable over time. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/acupofambition_logo.jpg","headline":"A Cup of Ambition","description":"A biweekly newsletter for high-achieving moms who value having a meaningful career and being an involved parent, by Jessica Wilen. To learn more visit acupofambition.substack.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/acupofambition.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
A massive earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russias far east on Wednesday morning, July 30, local time. The quake was the sixth-largest ever recorded and sent tsunami waves spreading across the Pacific Ocean. Some of those waves are headed to the United States and have already made landfall in some states, leading to numerous tsunami warnings and advisoriesmany of which are still in effect. Heres what you need to know about the Kamchatka quake and tsunami, and how you can track the latest warnings for where the waves could be headed next. Whats happened? On the morning of July 30 local time (about 11:24 p.m., July 29 UTC), a massive earthquake occurred off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russias far east. The quake registered a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale, making it the sixth most powerful earthquake to ever be recorded, according to CNN. The epicenter of the quake was about 74 miles southeast of the region’s largest city, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and occurred at a depth of about 12.8 miles below the surface. The Kamchatka earthquake is the largest quake recorded since the Thoku earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011. That earthquake measured 9.1 on the Richter scale and led to a devastating tsunami in Japan, which cost around 20,000 lives and led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. In the hour after the initial quake, two significant aftershocks measuring magnitudes of 6.3 and 6.9 struck, and since then, multiple aftershocks measuring 5 on the Richter scale have hit as well. The initial quake and these aftershocks have sent tsunami waves spreading across the Pacific Ocean. Where did the Kamchatka tsunami waves head? The tsunami waves that spread as a result of the Kamchatka earthquake headed across the Pacific Ocean and made landfall on Russias far east coast. According to CNN, the waves first hit Russia and Japan. They then traveled across the Pacific to Canada and the United States. In the United States, the waves are known to have made landfall in five states: Alaska California Hawaii Oregon Washington Following the earthquake, as the tsunami waves spread across the Pacific, authorities in these states issued tsunami warnings, and in some locations, urged residents to evacuate to higher ground. In Hawaii, Governor Josh Green told residents to evacuate coastal areas, stating, It will not hit one beach, it will wrap around the islands. In addition to the five U.S. states listed above, as well as Russia, Japan, and Canada, other countries have issued tsunami warnings and alerts, including Chile, China, French Polynesias Marquesas Islands, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, and Vanuatu. Tsunami Warning map Numerous tsunami warnings and advisories have been issued for cities and states in the U.S. as a result of the Kamchatka quake. Some of these warnings have been downgraded to advisories, while others remain in place. Its also still possible that further warnings or advisories will be issued. A great way to keep track of all these alerts is by checking out the Tsunami Warning map by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service. The color-coded map displays the latest tsunami warnings and advisories, as well as other alerts. Its mapping technology is powered by the spatial analytics company Esri. Alerts are displayed on the map in one of five colors: Tsunami WarningRed Tsunami AdvisoryOrange Tsunami WatchYellow Tsunami Information StatementGreen Tsunami ThreatPurple (International) Two of the most serious alerts on the map are the red Tsunami Warning and orange Tsunami Advisory alerts. According to the U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers, the red Tsunami Warning is issued when a tsunami with the potential to generate widespread inundation is imminent, expected, or occurring. Warnings alert the public that dangerous coastal flooding accompanied by powerful currents is possible and may continue for several hours after initial arrival. A yellow Tsunami Advisory is issued when a tsunami with the potential to generate strong currents or waves dangerous to those in or very near the water is imminent, expected, or occurring. The threat may continue for several hours after initial arrival, but significant inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory. If youre in a coastal area that may be impacted, its a good idea to keep abreast of tsunami alerts in your area. To find out more about what to do in the event of a tsunami threat, you can check out the U.S. governments Ready website about tsunamis.
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