I’ve noticed lately that I haven’t been going to Starbucks at all.
I’m not sure when this started, but I noticed a while back that I just never go into one any longer.
I don’t say this because I have any beef with Starbucks at all. I just don’t prefer it any longer.
I’m sure we could substitute Starbucks for any number of other places, products, or services.
What I am actually getting at is this idea of consistency.
For a long time, Starbucks was built on the idea of a “third place” for their customers…not home, not work, somewhere else.
As people’s lives have changed and the concept of home, work, etc. have changed, I think somehow that idea was lost and Starbucks became something else.
Maybe it became home to a consistent cup of coffee where you might not be able to get that at your local deli.
Maybe Starbucks started to take the place of a place that you knew you could go if there was no where else nearby.
Or, maybe Starbucks just became a default. Not unusual, unique, or special. Just there.
I feel like I am beating up on Starbucks a little bit, but there is a point. And the point is that are we consistent or average?
In the modern world, it doesn’t take long before consistency becomes an expectation and it loses its luster.
To use Starbucks again, when they first came along…they were extraordinary because the truth is that most people were just fine with Maxwell House and the idea of a coffee drink or a speciality roasted coffee was mind blowing.
Somewhere though, Starbucks stopped standing out.
They become the mood music to people’s day.
And, I think we all run the risk of that if we are doing something pretty well.
Our job is to fight that.
Do we want to fight the battle between consistent and average to continue to do great stuff. Or, do we allow something or someone to intrude because we forgot that we could do something special?