When I stopped into my local Starbucks this morning to get my usual tall cup of Joe, I found a store buzzing with a new entrant in its coffee line-up – instant coffee.

I must admit I was skeptical. Instant coffee? After all these years of treating my taste buds to the full-throated flavor of my Starbucks favorite blends such as Verona, Estima, and Sumatra, how can I take instant coffee seriously? The last innovation I witnessed in instant coffee was the “freeze-dried” branding of Taster’s Choice in the 1970s, which was a must-have for every college dorm room. Today, that same freeze-dried brew tastes a little too freezer-burned to me, with all due respect to Nescafe.

Yet, my coffee snobbery this morning quickly gave way to curiosity (and the notion of something free), and so I tried Starbucks’ new “VIA Ready Brew” (aka, instant coffee), which they were handing out in Dixie-like cups. And to my surprise, I liked it. Now, I will admit that it’s not quite in the league of my favorite fresh-ground brew I’m accustomed to, but it’s remarkably good considering it is, well, instant.

Give Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz credit, it’s a pretty gutsy move. This is the same guy who swam against the tide years ago, and proceeded to build a corporate empire one cup at a time — when most everyone else at the time was saying, “you can’t get rich selling coffee.”

Today Starbucks has more than 5,000 stores in over 40 countries. Sure, it had to close a few stores over the last year and dial back some prices in light of the bad economic times. But its stock is up 75% in the last 6 months. I like that math.

So stay tuned. Will Starbucks’ gamble on instant coffee pay off? Wall Street didn’t seem too impressed given SBUX closed down over one percent today, despite its big instant coffee roll-out.

But I don’t count Starbucks out, and for this reason. Its success to date is not simply the result of great coffee and market savvy. It also has something to do with how management runs the company and how they treat their employees (or “partners” as they are called). Starbucks routinely gets some of the highest marks in corporate America in terms of employee satisfaction, and “best places to work.”

As Howard Schultz puts it, “We realize our people are the cornerstone of our success, and we know that their ideas, commitment and connection to our customers are truly the essential elements in the Starbucks Experience.”

Happy and satisfied employees lead to greater productivity and greater innovations. And companies that get this important point, and live by it, will generally prosper.

In fact, prosperity has been known to have a very distinctive aroma. It smells like a great cup of instant coffee.

The National Geographic Society, founded in 1888 in Washington, DC, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. It represents one of the most enduring and recognizable brands on the planet – whose mission ironically is “to inspire people to care about their planet,” according to its current president, John Fahey, Jr.

National Geographic’s motto is “to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting conservation of the world’s cultural, historical, and natural resources.” According to the Society, its entire range of media properties reach 360 million people around the globe monthly. But it is its flagship yellow-covered magazine that has for decades served as the most identifiable with the organization, with a monthly circulation today of nine million copies.

Large stacks of National Geographic magazines grace my home library, as they do in millions of other homes, businesses, and libraries across the globe. The spines of my magazines are neatly aligned, displaying the month and year – with some copies dating back to the 1960s.

What is it about this soft-back publication that makes it so beloved and difficult to part with? The Society was founded on the principle that it would capture the interest of readers by capturing magnificent images of nature and far-away geographies in stunning detail. In fact, it was one of the Society’s founding members, Alexander Graham Bell and his son, Grosvenor (who later became the first full-time editor of the magazine), who first recognized the marketing power of telling a story through photographs.

It is worth noting that such an innovative magazine and organization is associated with one of the world’s greatest innovators, Alexander Graham Bell – who was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876.

During its 121-year history, the National Geographic Society has continued to find ways to successfully tell its story against a constantly changing cultural and technological backdrop. Just as it leveraged television and video throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, it is today leveraging high-definition television and its Nat Geo HD channel to engage new generations of enthusiasts.

Any for-profit enterprise today could learn more than a thing or two from this highly successful non-profit organization. An iconic status is not given away; it is earned. In order to survive and thrive, it is imperative that you remain nimble, and continue to innovate as technologies and customers’ lifestyles change around you. Yet, at the same time you must remain true to your core values and mission if you want your business and brand to endure.

Better design can give a company a competitive edge. Apple and Target are undeniable examples. Both companies have made design central to their business strategies in building stronger brands, customer loyalty, and greater market share.

Emphasis on design should not be limited to the CDO’s office. Every nook and cranny of the company can benefit from an infusion of creativity. Innovative design not only positively impacts products and packaging, but also company services and internal processes.

Make design a priority in every business division and corporate function. Expose employees to successful designers and creative artists. Spotlight creativity and good design, and reward employees and managers who answer the call to be their own CDO.