????咖啡王國：1981年,，霍華德?舒爾茨在西雅圖市派克農(nóng)貿(mào)市場（Pike Place Market）附近第一次看到了星巴克咖啡店,，并為其構(gòu)想出一個全球化愿景。如今,，這家公司已在全球擁有了1.7萬家零售店,。
????然而，美國總統(tǒng)給他打電話時討論的可不是什么南瓜咖啡,。
????9月份,，巴拉克?奧巴馬在向國會發(fā)表就業(yè)問題演講的前兩天給咖啡之王星巴克公司（Starbucks）董事長兼首席執(zhí)行官霍華德?舒爾茨打了一通電話?？偨y(tǒng)之所以掛念著舒爾茨,，是因為這位商業(yè)領(lǐng)袖突然間變成了一位政治活動家——舒爾茨宣稱，由于受夠了華盛頓政壇的不作為,，他將停止向任何一個黨派的現(xiàn)任官員捐贈競選資金,。這個“將黨派和意識形態(tài)純潔性置于人民福祉之上”的體系令舒爾茨痛心不已，他呼吁其他的工商領(lǐng)袖一起加入這場抵制行動,。140多位企業(yè)領(lǐng)袖迅速響應(yīng),，其中包括百事可樂（Pepsi）、迪斯尼（Disney）,、財捷（Intuit）,、全食超市（Whole Foods）、J. Crew服飾,、美國在線（AOL）,、紐約證交所（New York Stock Exchange）和納斯達(dá)克（Nasdaq）等公司的CEO,。奧巴馬顯然注意到了這這件事。他跟舒爾茨并沒有私人交往,，與這位民主黨在冊黨員僅有一面之緣,，當(dāng)時奧巴馬還是伊利諾斯州的初級參議員?！盎羧A德,，”總統(tǒng)說?！拔矣行┦孪敫懔牧?，比如你對經(jīng)濟(jì)和創(chuàng)造就業(yè)機(jī)會的看法，還有你發(fā)起的停止政治獻(xiàn)金運(yùn)動,?！笔鏍柎漠?dāng)時坐在俯瞰普吉特海灣（Puget Sound）的星巴克總部的辦公桌旁，幾乎沒有時間整理頭緒,，因為白宮方面在兩分鐘前才安排好這次通話,。奧巴馬說：“讓我們開誠布公地談一談?！?/p>
????他們的確這樣做了,，所以談到這次此前并未透露的交談時，舒爾茨非常謹(jǐn)慎,。他現(xiàn)在還記得,，他們那天談了足足一個多小時。舒爾茨說,，他竭力讓奧巴馬明白,，切斷政治獻(xiàn)金的決定并非具體地針對總統(tǒng)本人，盡管他過去的政治捐款幾乎全部贈予給了民主黨人,?！拔覍τ诿绹年P(guān)切，要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)勝過對民主黨的關(guān)切,，”他對奧巴馬說,。然而，如果認(rèn)真體會其中的言外之意,，就會發(fā)現(xiàn)舒爾茨呼吁終止競選捐贈的行為已經(jīng)達(dá)到了他預(yù)想的沖擊效應(yīng),。舒爾茨和總統(tǒng)討論了自己“對國家的關(guān)切，”42個州面臨的預(yù)算困境,，以及“對美國的信任危機(jī),。”
????接到美國總統(tǒng)親自打來的電話幾周后，舒爾茨又出現(xiàn)在法國巴黎總統(tǒng)府,，與尼古拉斯?薩科齊一起磋商歐元區(qū)經(jīng)濟(jì)問題（薩科齊的夫人卡拉?布魯尼是星巴克咖啡的忠實擁躉）,。有這種經(jīng)歷的CEO恐怕寥寥無幾，但這些正是58歲的舒爾茨今年的真實經(jīng)歷——除了那間充滿咖啡香氣的公司套間以外,，他的身影還活躍于政治和社會活動領(lǐng)域,。這種把公眾和私人事務(wù)有效地結(jié)合在一起的做法，使得舒爾茨成為一位頗具指標(biāo)意義的美國CEO——特別是在政府如此欠缺有效領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力的當(dāng)下,，這一形象顯得尤為高大,。這就是舒爾茨位列《財富》雜志（Fortune)2011年度商界風(fēng)云人物榜榜首的原因所在。他的公司——擁有1.7萬家零售店,，網(wǎng)點遍布美國每一個州和56個國家——正在成為全球食品帝國中頗具統(tǒng)治力的一員,。這個無處不在的品牌現(xiàn)在所代表的并不僅僅是咖啡，更是一種生活方式的象征,。舒爾茨向人們證明，并不是只有史蒂夫?喬布斯有能力卷土重來,，挽救一家公司于水火,。就在舒爾茨幾周前正式向華爾街公布星巴克公司2011財年的業(yè)績之前，他對我說：“今年的確是令人難忘的一年,?！?/p>
????本文節(jié)選自最新一期《財富》雜志，點擊這里閱讀全文 |
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????The president of the United States wasn't on the phone to talk about Pumpkin Spice Latte.
????Back in September, two days before Barack Obama delivered his speech to Congress on jobs, he put in a call to Howard Schultz, the chairman and CEO of coffee king Starbucks. Schultz was on the President's mind because the business icon had suddenly become a political activist, announcing that because he was disgusted with Washington's dysfunction, he would cease making campaign contributions to incumbents in either party. Deploring a system that has "chosen to put partisan and ideological purity over the well-being of the people," Schultz asked fellow corporate executives to join him in a boycott. More than 140 quickly did, including the CEOs at Pepsi (PEP), Disney (DIS), Intuit (INTU), Whole Foods (WFM), J. Crew, AOL (AOL), the New York Stock Exchange (NYX), and Nasdaq. Obama evidently took note. He had no personal relationship with Schultz, a registered Democrat, and the two had met only once, when Obama was the junior U.S. senator from Illinois. "Howard," said the President, "I'd like to talk to you about a number of things, including your campaign initiative, as well as your thoughts on the economy and job creation." Seated at his desk at Starbucks headquarters overlooking Puget Sound, Schultz barely had time to collect his thoughts; the White House had set up the call two minutes in advance. Said Obama: "Let's have an honest and straightforward conversation."
????Because they did -- for more than half an hour, Schultz recalls -- he's circumspect about this previously undisclosed discussion. Schultz says he went out of his way to let Obama know that his decision to cut off political cash was not directed at the President specifically, even though Democrats had received almost all his donations in the past. "I'm much more concerned about America than the Democratic Party," he told Obama. Yet if you read between the lines, it's clear that Schultz's campaign moratorium had the shock value he intended. Schultz and the President discussed Schultz's "concerns for the country," the budget predicaments facing 42 states, and "the profound crisis of confidence in America."
????There aren't many CEOs who would get such presidential calls, or who would meet a few weeks later at the presidential palace in Paris with Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss eurozone economic issues. (Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, is a big Starbucks customer.) But it's been that kind of year for the 58-year-old Schultz -- out in the realm of political and social activism, as well as inside the caffeinated corporate suite. His dynamic union of the public and the private has made Schultz a signal American CEO -- all the more so when government seems so bereft of effective leadership. That's why Schultz earns the No. 1 spot on Fortune's Businessperson of the Year list for 2011. His company, with 17,000 retail stores, in every state and 56 countries, is becoming a dominant player among global food empires. The ubiquitous brand has transcended mere coffee to become a lifestyle emblem. And Schultz has proved that it wasn't just Steve Jobs who could come home to a company to save it. "It's been quite a year," Schultz told me, just before he officially announced the results of a memorable fiscal 2011 to Wall Street a couple of weeks ago.
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