Her Story
About Sabrina
My typical day involves a lot of analytics and metrics, but most importantly, it's about shoulder-to-shoulder work with my team. If you go to Starbucks, whoever's the loudest and most energetic is more than likely the store manager - that's me. I work with our team day-to-day because you have to set the example of what it truly means to work here at Starbucks and help people trust in their role. Beyond that, I do personal training and personal development, collaborate with other store managers in my district and even outside my district, and I'm part of Hora of the Cafe, which is a Hispanic network where we put on events in tribute to Hispanic culture. A lot of my work is literally setting the culture of what Starbucks truly means and collaborating throughout the day. In the restaurant and retail industry, every day is not the same day - things get thrown at you, so it's all about being very adaptable. What I love most about my job is watching people evolve. I do the interview, the orientation, and then I see how they evolve over the months or years. Every single day when they show up to work, they're getting better and better - that, to me, is purposeful. I've done hiring events for our district and put on coffee masters presentations where we hand partners this black apron after weeks of intensive coffee training. To me, that's a big deal because it makes them feel purposeful.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sabrina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the mentorship I've received and the powerful advice that has guided me. My district manager taught me about PIE - your performance, the image you want to have to your peers and the people working for you, and your exposure. What stories are you going to tell based on the experience that you gain? That really resonated with me. Another general manager I worked under told me something that changed everything: it doesn't matter if you wash dishes or serve tables, this is your career right now, so you better be the best that you can be in it. Even though I was just trying to serve tables in college to make ends meet, that resonated with me and made me become a trainer, a supervisor, and rank up in the restaurant industry. I also believe in identifying behavioral patterns in people and anticipating whether they're going to be the next leader you hope and aspire them to be. At one point, we were all beginners, and it took the right people that you looked up to and sought mentorship from to help you achieve your role.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received came from two mentors. My district manager taught me about PIE - it stands for performance, image, and exposure. It's about how you perform in your company, what image you want to have to your peers and the people working for you, and your exposure - what stories are you going to tell based on the experience that you gain? That was probably one of the biggest things that really resonated with me. Another piece of advice that stuck with me came from a general manager I worked under. He said, it doesn't matter if you wash dishes, it doesn't matter if you serve tables - this is your career right now, so you better be the best that you can be in it. I was in college just trying to serve tables to make ends meet, but that really resonated with me because it made me become a trainer, a supervisor, and kind of rank up in the restaurant industry.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'll say this - most of the store managers that work for Starbucks, and even a lot of the supervisors that work under us, and district managers, it is very woman-led. It really, truly is. Look, I'm a mom, I'm a wife. As a woman, when we have all those other responsibilities, we're trying to navigate all three of those areas of our lives. I'm sure many women who are full-time are just trying to balance everything - your profession and your career along with being a mother and wife. The best thing I can say is you just have to adapt, and you have to tell yourself every day, what can I do today to make my people stronger for tomorrow, and for next week, and for years to come? That's the best thing I can say to any mom that's trying to have a full-time career.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge is development - trying to be influential enough to change complacency in a person. That's probably the biggest challenge for anybody in retail and restaurant industry. When it comes to an individual who's working in this type of industry that I work in, you're really trying to bring out the best out of them. You're trying to get a barista to know that everything that they do today matters for tomorrow. Same thing for a supervisor that may have been here for 9 years and they're kind of complacent where they're at - they're okay with mediocrity, but you want to pull that out of them and bring out their best so that they can get to the next level. Whether you work at Target, HEB, or anywhere in retail, it's trying to get that person to know that they matter, that they're purposeful, and that they can be the best that they can be. A lot of them don't have a bachelor's degree, and some don't have a lot of opportunities. Most of my kids that work under me are in college, so they're trying to navigate themselves. You have to really do a lot of mentoring for this younger generation. I have young adults who are just trying to figure themselves out, and I have some adults who are not in school and think this is probably what they're going to do forever. It's about experience and wisdom as you go along in your career.
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