You know how your aunt is always posting inspirational stuff on Facebook telling you to dance like no one is watching or whatever? Well you should also do a super awesome job at your place of employment even when you think no one is paying attention. Because they might be and then the CEO of Starbucks is calling you up to thank you and holy moly, that’s kind of a huge moment. That’s what happened to a Starbucks manager in San Diego earlier this month.

Gieselle was just working away at her job, managing things and making sure the store was running smoothly, reports FOX5 San Diego (via StarbucksGossip.com). Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, a blogger (who coaches people and businesses about how to be a leader) was enjoying her coffee and observing the goings-on while fighting a case of writer’s block.

She says she saw a few situations stand out to her where Gieselle had to step in and help customers: One was a homeless man asking to put up his artwork, another was a man who was upset about his drink and the third was a teen looking for a job.

“Time after time, Gieselle handled the situations with absolute grace. She never showed any emotion, she was just being pleasant and friendly. She also kept in mind all her other customers,” the blogger told FOX5. “I actually had this eureka moment as I was writing, or trying to write and I was staring at my screen and cursor and I said ‘this is it.'”

Cut to a few days later when Gieselle was at work again and a coworker came up to tell her she had an important phone call to take.

“His eyes were really wide and he said ‘The CEO is on the phone.'” she said. “I didn’t believe it, so I took the phone and said ‘Hi thank you for holding, this is Gieselle. How can I help you?’ And he said, ‘Gieselle, Howard Schultz.'”

“My eyes popped out and I just said ‘good morning,'” she added, saying he called to thank her for her leadership and invite her to Houston for the Starbucks annual conference, where she would be honored for being so good at her job.

“It’s all about human connection. It’s about making an impact. We make a promise of a perfectly made drink and that’s what we strive to be — consistent, but it’s about more than that,” she says.

As for the blogger? “When I found out Howard Schultz had read my blog, I felt like I died and gone to heaven. He is the epitome of a good leader.”

Starbucks CEO personally calls local manager [FOX5 San Diego]
Starbucks barista gets a phone call from Howard Schultz [StarbucksGossip.com]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.