Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol swears by this ‘cliche’ career advice [Video]

It’s the first day on the job for new Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, and expectations are high. 

The 50-year-old executive is taking over amid turbulent times for the coffee giant, which faces mounting pressure from activist investors, unionization efforts and sluggish sales in the U.S. and China, its two largest markets.

Niccol has a strong track record of turning around troubled companies: As CEO of Chipotle, he helped the chain rebound from its foodborne illness scandal and led its restaurants through the pandemic. 

Wall Street analysts have called Niccol — who served as CEO of Taco Bell before his six-year stint at Chipotle — a “dream hire” and a “hall of fame restaurant CEO.”

Niccol attributes much of his success to a “cliché” piece of career advice he started following in his 20s: “Believe in yourself.”

“I know it’s a cliché, but you absolutely have to believe in yourself and have the grit to not give up, when …