HOWARD BEHAR OF STARBUCKS: 'WE’RE A PEOPLE COMPANY SERVING COFFEE.'

Starbucks is the most iconic coffee store in the world and it has played a big role in my life.

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It's not always about the coffee.

It's about having a place to do what I need, enjoy my caffe latte and multiple trips back to the counter for yogurt-soaked granola and cookies.

As a mom who drove her kids to school, it was a space where I would bring my laptop to work or bead a section of my daughter's debut gown. There is something about the vibe that is conducive to both work and chilling out.

We were very fortunate to have Howard Behar in town recently, the retired president of Starbucks Coffee Company North America and Starbucks International.

He came on board when there were only 28 branches and grew it to 15,000 in over 80 countries.

Here in the Philippines, we have 479 stores, beginning in 1997, with the first branch located at 6750 along Ayala Avenue. Significantly, Starbucks Philippines was the third market to open outside North America. Their mission is that "with every cup, with every conversation and every community we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection." With this phenomenal growth, it's amazing to learn from Howard Behar that it's not about the coffee. That's also the title of his bestselling book, which is about the brand of servant leadership that propelled Starbucks forward.

"We're not a coffee company serving people, we're a people company serving coffee," is one of his most famous sayings.

We had a chance to listen to Howard expand on servant leadership recently at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, in a talk that was moderated by Starbucks Philippines president and CEO Noey Tantoco Lopez. His father Jun Lopez is the one who started Rustan's Supermarket in 1970 and was able to bring Starbucks over in 1997.