Thanks, Clemens. You're right. Those "unifying agents" are very rare. Leaders who can bring people together in this way are truly remarkable.

Amen! I loved it when you wrote "Starbucks has gifted McDonald's by choosing to fight them head-on right at McDonald's strengths - operational consistency and low price." McDonald's is strong where Starbucks is weak (consistency, low price). However, Starbucks WAS also strong where McDonald's was weak (service, customer experience, status, etc.). Instead of continuing to do what they do well, and ignoring what they do poorly, Starbucks tried to fix their weaknesses, become well-rounded, and act more like McDonald's. As you point out, this did not lead to success. Instead, they are now playing a game that McDonald's can dominate.