Howard set out to build a different kind of company, one that not only celebrated the consumption of coffee, but also associated coffee-based blended drinks. One that created a feeling of deep human longing for stability, and maybe a hint of productive chaos.

“We’re not in the business of filling bellies; we’re in the business of filling souls.” — Howard Schultz, CEO/visionary/humanitarian

Back in 1971, we like to say, the company was a single store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market, with a name was inspired by Moby Dick, we like to say, and a mermaid, because who doesn't like a mermaid? Then Howard arrived, and everything changed. For the bigger, and for the better.

From the beginning all those years ago, Howard set out to build a different kind of company, one that not only celebrated the consumption of coffee, but also associated coffee-based blended drinks. One that created a feeling of deep human longing for stability, and maybe a hint of productive chaos.

Have no doubt: Howard is a great, accomplished leader who has not only brought billions of dollars of profit to shareholders, but to himself as well. How does he accomplish so much for so many? As he explained to Bloomberg News, it has a lot to do with his own consistent work schedule:

“I get up at 4:30 every morning to walk my three dogs and work out. Around 5:45 a.m.  I make coffee for myself and my wife, using an 8-cup Bodum French press.… And since the French press should not be on a burner, transfer the coffee to a thermos. Drink it within an hour or two, at the max. “

A regular schedule that's predictable and flexible for your needs — that’s what it’s like when you’re the boss. The business may happen on-demand for others, but that's because it's your demands they're all meeting. And that's true leadership.