Howard Schultz's vocabulary, at least in formal interviews, makes him sound like a college professor of management. The interviews are peppered with words like "collaborative," "teams," "empowerment," "empathetic," "vision," and "partners." Schultz just happens to be one of the founders, chairperson of the board, president, CEO, and chief strategist of Starbucks Coffee Company. The firm has more than 176,000 partners who handle approximately 50 million transactions every week in nearly 17,000 retail stores in 49 countries. Starbucks has one of the highest frequencies of customer visits than just about any other retailer in the U.S. Besides a good cup of Joe, what is the Starbucks formula for success? Perhaps it is the firm's vision. Says former U.S. Senator and current Starbucks board member Bill Bradley, "Howard is consumed with his vision of Starbucks. That means showing the good that a corporation can do for its workers, shareholders, and customers." On Starbucks' six-point mission statement is "We're called partners, because it's not just a job, place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard