skip to Main Content

Know what you don’t know and surround yourself with people from whom you can learn

Team Building with Caribou Coffee Employees with Michael Coles, 2006
People’s Point of View

Some people are intimidated by working or associating with someone more capable or knowledgeable than they are. Others thrive on building relationships with those who have complementary skill sets and conflicting points of view.

I made some mistakes building teams early in my career. But I learned to hire and empower a diverse group of people at Great American Cookies and Caribou Coffee. These people possessed exceptional talents and were not shy about challenging me.

I marshalled those talents to build the largest cookie company in the nation and later to prepare Caribou to take on the industry giant, Starbucks. 

Published by UGA Press 

Back To Top