The mantra stuck with her, and she began doing "listening tours," meeting with small groups of employees at different levels of the organization and asking for their insight and advice. "It sounds so simple, but he said, 'Don't assume you understand - walk in their shoes and really listen,'" Ms. She says advice she got at Starbucks from board director Craig Weatherup continues to guide the way she leads. She returned to her hometown of Seattle in 2009, becoming chief marketing officer for Starbucks. "I still keep in very close contact with that team, and it taught me to make sure that you dream big, you take calculated risks, and you nurture talent," Ms. that included stints as president of the company's China business and as chief marketing officer and head of sales for the Quaker Oats brand. Young-Scrivner, 51, now chief executive of Godiva.Īs a child, she sold ice on the sidewalk, and got a job in retail as soon as she could get a work permit as a teenager.Īfter college, she spent 20 years at PepsiCo Inc.
That experience helped spark a lifelong interest in consumer behavior for Ms. "When you can't speak a language, you're much more observant, watching people's emotions and behaviors," Ms. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (July 25, 2020).Īnnie Young-Scrivner didn't speak any English when she moved with her family to Seattle from Taiwan at age 7, so she spent much of her time watching and listening to others. This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.