By Helena O'Connor 169 Nov-Dec 2013 A few staff members crowded the back of the small room. Latecomers straggled in until most chairs were full. A huge white board with a crosshatch of lines and columns, numbers and spaces stood at the front. The general manager called everyone to order. The weekly huddle had begun. One by one, department managers posted their weekly sales [...]
By Melanie Reid 169 Nov-Dec 2013 Justice and Just Food Co-op in Northfield, Minn., opened its doors in 2004. Once the co-op had successfully navigated the initial challenges that every startup faces and began to experience stable finances and sales growth, management felt it was time to engage the staff in the continued success of the business. A training session during a National Cooperative [...]
Uncover the 5 key drivers of staff engagement. Elevate your team's performance today!
Online Recorded Workshop This is a thorough introduction to developing a good working relationship as a board with the co-op’s new general manager. The objective of the workshop is to show how to integrate a new general manager into the leadership team, set clear expectations, evaluate the general manager at regular intervals throughout the year, and to maintain an honest and open dialogue. This [...]
“Why can’t I get my people to do what they’re supposed to?” “Why do I have to tell my team everything they need to do?” Everywhere we consult, we hear these pleas from exasperated, overwhelmed new managers and cynical, jaded senior long-time managers alike. Here’s the hard truth: We can’t make our teams perform well by telling them what to do. Maybe that was [...]
By Jeanie Wells 168 September-October 2013 Has your co-op considered Open Book Management? Chances are that even if you haven’t implemented it but have attended a food co-op conference in the past three years, you have heard talk about Open Book Management. That’s because it has been slowly but steadily catching fire throughout the North American food co-op sector. Some stores are having great [...]
Empowering your department heads and helping them work together results in happier, more supported employees overall. In any business, the leadership team creates the support network for accomplishing day-to-day tasks. This frees leaders to create and communicate the business vision, interact with the larger community and plan for the future. However, just because a group is labeled as a "team" doesn't mean it will [...]
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. [...]
Happy employees are productive employees. They offer your customers a great experience in your store. They are likely to stay longer, returning many times your investment in training them. They may even recruit friends to join your workforce. Knowing where your strengths and weaknesses are from the employee’s perspective is valuable information. Employee satisfaction surveys offer an opportunity to learn what your employees are [...]
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 [...]
