Bookmarks off the
shelf
Starbucks exec Larry Gluth gave up a corporate career to follow his heart
By Dinah Eng
Leadership development, words of inspiration, and the occasional spy novel
are the kinds of reading material that Larry Gluth, vice president of the
U.S./Canada Area Office of Habitat for Humanity International, likes to
pick up at home or pack for the next plane ride.
In a way, it was in part because of a book that Gluth—a former executive
with Starbucks—left a successful 15-year career with the coffee company to
join a non-profit organization that called to his heart.
“There was a Habitat build of 20 homes in 20 days in Snoqualmie, Wash.,
within walking distance of our home,” Gluth says. “I decided to take some
vacation time and got involved. It was a wonderful experience. I ended up
serving on the Habitat board locally until Hurricane Katrina hit, and then
I wondered what else I could do.”
Gluth became involved with planning Habitat’s strategy to address the need
for homes in the Gulf Coast region, and took a year’s sabbatical from
Starbucks to work with volunteers on Operation Home Delivery. Seeing
volunteer and professional teams work together to help others was an
experience that Gluth couldn’t walk away from.
“I was reading Half Time by Bob Buford, which made me ask myself, what do I
want to do with the second half of my life,” Gluth says. “I thought I’d go
back to Starbucks for another five years, because the golden handcuffs in
corporate life are very real. But after a few months, my heart was calling
me back to Habitat.”
So Gluth left Starbucks in January 2007 and moved into the non-profit world
of Habitat, learning about the building industry and working with sponsors
and volunteers. He says Habitat has a wonderful relationship with the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, a large participant in the Katrina
recovery effort.
NAR contributed an estimated $3.5 million to build 47 homes in the Gulf
Coast region, as well as sponsoring other needed homes in Las Vegas,
Orlando, South Africa, and Hungary.
“With the economic downturn, we’ve seen that land, which is a critical
aspect of our building, is coming back on the market,” Gluth says. “Many of
our affiliates say developers are selling land at prices well below market,
so that’s been a wonderful opportunity.”
Seeing opportunities to make a difference in the world are at the heart of
two books Gluth is now reading:
* If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the
Boat
By John Ortberg
The author offers thoughts on how to have faith in the people around you,
transcending fear, managing failure, and exercising faith in your spiritual
life.
* When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the
Box
By John Ortberg
This book examines tactics for succeeding from a spiritual viewpoint, with
metaphors about gaming such as understanding the object of the game (being
spiritually rich), and how to play (with rules, gratitude, and a
mission).
“It offers an opportunity to assess what you put in your life, or what you
surround yourself with in your personal life, and as a society,” Gluth
says. “His point is that material things really don’t matter. It’s a study
of values, to assess what’s truly important—family, faith, and
friends.”
Other recommended reads:
* It’s Not About the Coffee ... Leadership Principles from a Life
at Starbucks
By Howard Behar
The author, a senior executive at Starbucks for many years, worked to
establish a culture of people over profits, urging leaders to see employees
as human beings, rather than labor costs, and customers as people, rather
than revenue. Behar shares inside stories from the company’s history, along
with his thoughts on the importance of building trust, daring to dream, and
other key principles.
“Howard was an old mentor of mine at Starbucks,” Gluth says. “I have to
plug his book.”
* Protect and Defend
By Vince Flynn
This is the author’s eighth thriller featuring counter-terrorism agent
Mitch Rapp, who investigates the destruction of an Iranian secret nuclear
weapons facility. When his boss, CIA Director Irene Kennedy, is kidnapped,
Rapp must unravel what’s really happened and come to the rescue.
“I’m a Vince Flynn fan, and this is my fun reading,” Gluth says. “His books
are filled with intrigue and espionage, and appeal to the inner conspiracy
theorist in all of us. It’s believable enough it could be true, and you
hope it’s not. I’ve found them to be a good escape.”
When it comes to daily reading, Gluth keeps up with the news through the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Wall Street Journal. Two magazines he
reads on a regular basis are Sports Illustrated “because I’m a sports nut”
and Fortune “because I want to keep up with the latest trends in
business.”
On the movie front, “We have an eight-year-old son, so I recently pulled
out the three old ‘Indiana Jones’ movies to introduce him to that before we
take him to see the new film,” Gluth says. “We also watch ‘Star Wars’ with
him on a regular basis.”
After all, there’s no house that can’t be built when The Force is with
you.
Dinah Eng is a freelance real estate writer.
