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“Yours is the voice that can help ignite the contagious upward spiral of confidence that our country desperately needs.”– Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, Letter to America, Sept 2011

In September, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz called business leaders and fellow citizens to help turn the tide of uncertainty that has such a grip on our country.  “We must be catalysts for change… waiting for Washington to act is not a plan of action,” he says. Next week, he will be honored as the Fortune Business Person of the Year.

Why is the CEO of a major public corporation asking everyday citizens to help shift the country’s cultural climate? And what does he mean by an “upward spiral”?