What You Can Learn From Starbucks’ Big Announcement

Earlier this week, Starbucks announced a plan to add three new directors to its board.

No big news there, right? Let's add some context.

As reported by The New York Times, the nominees are:

• Rosalind Brewer, an African-American woman who is president and chief executive of Sam's Club and vice president of Walmart Stores
• Satya Nadella, an Indian-American who is chief executive of Microsoft Corporation
• Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, the Denmark-born executive chairman of the Lego Brand Group

“With the additions, the Starbuck's board would grow to 14 people; would be 29 percent female and 36 percent ethnic minority; and would include a range of ages from millennials to baby boomers,” adds Andrew Ross Sorkin.

We hear a lot about diversity nowadays. But does learning from people of different backgrounds, cultures and age groups really make us better?

I'm pretty well versed in the multicultural environment: My father is a first-generation immigrant to the United States (from the Philippines), my mother is white (with Portuguese roots), and I grew up in a racially diverse city where most of my friends were black.

It's amazing how a single news story can be interpreted so vastly different from each of these perspectives. For me, learning to see the world through three different sets of eyes helped me relate to all kinds of different people through the years.

Getting to know different cultures and backgrounds introduces you to multiple viewpoints, different ways of getting a job done, and increased flexibility.

But it also gives you increased opportunities for learning.

Think of this learning like taking on a new language. If you spend time with multilingual people, you might notice their behavior can change depending on which language they're speaking. I tell my wife, who speaks three languages fluently, that she has a separate personality for each language. (I love them all, of course.)

Which one is really her?

They all are, of course—and that’s the lesson: As you learn more from others, not only do you understand them better, and find it easier to relate…

You also grow as a person.

And that’s a benefit that extends far beyond business.

Your turn: What do you think about Starbucks’ recent move?

[This post is related to this morning’s column on Inc.com.]

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Justin Bariso is the author of the forthcoming book, EQ, Applied, which shares fascinating research, modern examples, and personal stories that illustrate how emotional intelligence works--and how it doesn't work--in the real world. If you're interested in a new way of looking at EQ, along with tips on how to make emotions work for you instead of against you, subscribe to my free monthly newsletter by clicking here.

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