Seven Steps to Re-energize your Cooperative Culture
By Adam Schwartz 166 May-June 2013 "Culture is to an organization what water is to a fish—it is the environment that exists all around us." If I asked you to describe the culture of your food co-op in one word, what would it be? How would you know if others in your organization feel the same way? There has been a good deal of [...]
Governing With Excellence, Using Awareness and Discipline
By Thane Joyal 166 May-June 2013 Why is it that some of our retail food cooperative boards really make a powerful difference in their communities, while others flounder? What can we learn from strong boards, and what can we learn from those that are struggling? This article focuses on two key and interrelated practices: self-awareness, and self-discipline. These operate at two levels: at the [...]
Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance Part 2
By Marilyn Scholl, Joel Kopischke 171 March-April 2014 In the January/February 2014 issue of Cooperative Grocer magazine, we introduced the Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance as a model for the co-op sector to steer our cooperatively owned enterprises toward economic, social, and cultural success. It is the culmination of many years’ work with co-op boards of directors, seeking to answer this question: How can [...]
6 simple tips to combat burnout
Have you ever found yourself losing all interest in the job you used to love? Instead of feeling energized by your success, do you find yourself unfocused, disengaged and exhausted by the thought of work each day? You might be experiencing burnout, defined by psychologist Herbert Freundenberger as “a state of fatigue brought about by devotion to a cause, a way of life or [...]
Wheatsville’s BIG Direction: Making the Ends Real
By Dan Gillotte, Rose Marie Klee 166 May-June 2013 In Austin, Texas, Wheatsville Co-op is taking a BIG Direction: "Business Is Good." Wheatsville's BIG Direction is the general manager's interpretation of our Ends -policies, which act as a powerful, multi-faceted expression of our strategic plan. The Wheatsville Ends policies are as follows: Wheatsville will be at the forefront of a transformed society that has: [...]
Great Idea: Templates for Board Use
The startup Monadnock Food Co-op opened its 13,000-square-foot store just a wee bit ahead of schedule last month in Keene, New Hampshire. Yes, you read that right. Ahead of schedule. Of course having a committed board and manager are key to that accomplishment. Yet the reason for this is that their group was able to stay on task and complete projects on time. [...]
New Resource: Expansion Projects—Preparing Your Co-op for Successful Growth
Now boards and management groups can easily access the expansion planning advice of CDS CC consultant Bill Gessner, food co-op general managers and board presidents through our newest Online Recorded Workshop titled Expansion Projects: Preparing Your Co-op for Successful Growth. In this video format, many of the frequently asked questions about expansion planning and strategic thinking for boards and managers can now be [...]