Starbucks has onboarded Brian Niccol, a seasoned leader in the restaurant industry, as its new CEO. Niccol, who has been hailed as a “dream hire” and a “hall of fame restaurant CEO,” credits much of his success to a simple yet powerful piece of career advice he embraced in his 20s: “Believe in yourself.”
In a May 2024 commencement speech at Miami University in Oxford, Niccol, 50, shared insights into the mindset that shaped his career. “I know it’s a cliché, but you absolutely have to believe in yourself and have the grit to not give up when it at first might not be going your way,” he said.
The newly-appointed Starbucks chief is known for carrying a “beat-up notebook” with him, a tool he uses to track his progress toward career goals.
His message to young professionals is clear: “Whatever it is you need to do to keep yourself focused on your goal, do it, and believe you can do it.”
Niccol has also emphasized the importance of trusting one’s instincts. “There will be times in your career when your gut will be tingling,” he told CNBC Make It. “Make space for that instinctive intelligence and take action. Trust your instincts.”
What truly set Niccol apart during the Starbucks CEO selection process was a phrase that resonated with the company’s board. Speaking to CNBC, former Starbucks chair Mellody Hobson, who recently passed her position on to Niccol, revealed that his confidence was captured in five simple words: “I know what to do.”
“He said, ‘This is a speed bump in the company’s history. This is not something that I fear going into,’ and that was something for our board that was extremely encouraging,” Hobson noted.