Leaders in the co-op industry have long identified the challenge of finding General Managers with the skills to successfully lead a co-op. Even the best candidate in a board’s qualified candidate pool likely lacks some of the skills necessary to lead and manage a successful food co-op. Columinate’s experienced team of grocery retail experts is well qualified to address [...]
This discussion and process guide is meant to accompany other documents related to General Manager evaluation in the Columinate library. Please reference these documents, and confer with your CBLD consultant where appropriate to devise a system that works for your cooperative. This process is based on the CBLD Policy Template D4 - Evaluating the GM. If your board has a different policy, be sure to follow the policy you have.
This discussion guide is meant to accompany the process for setting General Manager Compensation as set forth in documents in the Columinate library. Please discuss this process with your CBLD consultant to find an approach that works for your cooperative. This process is based on the CBLD Policy Template C2 - The Board’s Job. If your board has a different policy, be sure to follow the policy you have.
Updated: August 2nd, 2016 Every board of directors of a retail food cooperative should strive to be an excellent employer for their general manager, the person who is responsible for the success of the cooperative. Clear expectations are part of being a good employer and contracts are one possible tool that boards can use to clarify expectations and provide for terms of separation. [...]
Policy Governance is an operating system for boards of directors. As with operating systems for computers, the system itself is not the point of the board’s work; the system simply provides an underlying framework on which boards can build further agreements and activities. Policy Governance does not mandate specific decisions, but does highlight the kinds of decisions a board should make. These decisions include [...]
Boards that want to provide the best leadership possible will regularly evaluate their own performance to highlight successes and areas needing improvement. Using your board’s stated policy agreements as the basis of your assessment offers one straightforward approach to self-evaluation.
Many cooperatives, social justice organizations, and businesses have begun to directly confront their own role in the social systems that perpetuate racism and inequity. Boards of directors who use Policy Governance® should feel empowered to use their policy document to clarify their expectations around the work of dismantling systems of racism and oppression.
with guests John Hatton, board president, Brattleboro Food Co-op, and Sharon Murphy, GM at Whole Foods Co-op, Duluth CG -- Evaluating the GM by Colter and Goehring
By Carolee Colter 176 January-February 2015 As we all know, the baby boom generation is hitting retirement age. Roughly a quarter of the U.S. population was born between 1946 and 1964, and every month a quarter million more are turning 65. That age is not a magic number for retirement. With the recent recession, many people put off retiring longer than they otherwise might [...]
All board committees should have a charter – a description of the committee’s purpose and authority. One person, generally the board secretary, should have primary responsibility for drafting charters as directed by the board. This helps the board have a consistent approach for how charters are written. Committee charters should include: The lifespan of the committee (An ad hoc committee should exist only as [...]
