In January, I finished the book Onward by Howard Shultz, founder and two-time ceo of one of the most well-known brands in the world: Starbucks. In the book, he wrote about his inspiration for Starbucks and how the company began, and how he grew it into the brand we know and love today. However, even Starbucks wasn’t without struggles, as it saw significant financial difficulty in 2008 that took several years to overcome.

Personally, I’ve never been a huge Starbucks fan. Blasphemy, I know.

Most of the drinks were too sweet and even not-very-health-conscious me had a hard time putting those sugar packed liquids into my body. Then, the regular coffee tasted fine, but not good enough for me to pay $4 for. One thing I did always love and gave credit to was the atmosphere and the customer service, but I didn’t give myself much luxury to thoroughly enjoy it.

While reading Onward, I felt almost guilty for feeling the way I did about Starbucks. Howard was that inspirational and motivational. His passion and love for his company was almost tangible, even through a book. And I found myself highlighting, marking and sticky-noting several passages throughout the chapters with advice on business and life.

How Howard built Starbucks, with the passion and love, ingenuity, creativity and drive, is how I envision running my own business.

Not on the same level… obviously.

But with the same passion, creativity, drive and love for my work and customers that he had.

There was one particular passage at the end of the book that I both highlighted and sticky-noted so I would double remember. In fact, I might get it printed on something to hang above my desk.

Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don’t embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty. Listen with empathy and overcommunicate with transparency. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable but give them the tools to succeed. Make the touch choices; it’s how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear and do. Believe.

I got goosebumps when I read that. Because not only can I apply that advice to running my business, but it’s also applicable to every day life. To my 9-5 job. To being a leader.

I think every leader in every organization should read this. Embrace it. Embody it.

My advice to you is to read, embrace and embody those words. Share with leaders in your life. Use it as a foundation for your business or career. You never know where it can take you or how successful you can be.

(After all, it comes from a man who built a company with a net worth of several billion dollars and instant brand recognition all over the world.)

Also, I highly recommend the whole book. Definitely a great read!