200,000 Sharpies
I was in a meeting recently when someone asked, "Has anyone noticed a change at Starbucks?”
I knew exactly what he meant. The vibe feels different—warmer.
Baristas are writing names on cups again. Sometimes little notes of positivity. Even when the order comes via mobile and a name is already printed on a sticker. Even when it slows them down. Even when it feels unnecessary.
Brian Niccol took over Starbucks about a year and a half ago with an impressive turnaround resume from Chipotle. His vision? "Back to Starbucks." Four-minute drink goals. Thirty percent menu reduction. And, yes, handwritten notes on coffee cups.
His strategy required a purchase order for 200,000 Sharpies.
It sounds absurd until you realize Starbucks had been struggling for over a year. When your CEO's first move at a $100 billion company is buying markers, you're admitting something profound:
We forgot how to make people feel seen.
The research backs this up. Behavioral researcher Vanessa Van Edwards teaches that people evaluate us, and the companies we work with, on two things: competence and warmth. Together, those drive 82% of impressions. You can be the smartest person in the room, but if you're unpleasant to be around, nobody cares.
It made me think about my own Sharpies.
The "good morning" in the hallway. The thank you text after a tough meeting. Remembering someone's birthday. The sticky note on a desk. The handwritten card—the kind that once led to an unexpected text from a company owner I'd never met.
I think about my daughter Isabel. She doesn't wait. She's the kid who walks into a room and says hi first. Compliments the stranger. Notices the person no one's noticing. She smiles before anyone else does. I've watched whole rooms shift because of it.
Most of us learn the opposite. We wait. We wait for someone else to say hello, to initiate, to set the tone. And we're quietly offended when they don't.
The Sharpie isn't really about the marker. It's about deciding, deliberately, to go first. To do the small thing that says I see you. You matter. I'm glad you're here.