It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… anyone who is capable of getting themselves made a [leader]… should on no account be allowed to do the job. - Douglas Adams, 1952-2001 The question who ought to be boss is like who ought to be the tenor in the [...]
Co-op employees will at least occasionally bring complaints and concerns to the board or individual directors, yet the board itself is ill-suited for the task of handling these concerns. Employees deserve to have their concerns addressed professionally. In addition, direct board involvement can interfere with the authority already delegated to the GM, or can exacerbate already sensitive issues by inserting even more personal relationships into [...]
Eastside Food Co-op Minneapolis, MN Year founded: 2003 Member equity: $100 Number of members: 6,500 Number of employees: 100 Retail square feet: 9,500 Eastside Food Co-op in Minneapolis, Minn. had one of the highest sales per square foot in the nation, but this wasn’t all good news. The store’s small size meant that it couldn’t carry enough of what customers wanted. Survey results showed [...]
By Michael Healy 189 March-April 2017 Boards of directors regularly struggle with the concept of “speaking with one voice”— primarily because the concept has a dual meaning. Within the context of Policy Governance, which many food co-op boards use, the principle of board holism is sometimes described as “speaking with one voice.” However, the same term is also used to describe or prescribe how [...]
