The job of a food co-op general manager (GM) is one of the more unique and challenging roles in the grocery industry. GMs manage their staff, report to a board of directors of many bosses speaking as one, and are responsible for a wide variety of functional areas within their business. At any given moment a GM must be knowledgeable about margin strategy, marketing, HR compliance, or fixing a coffee brewer. A GM likely makes dozens of decisions a day and needs context and subject matter knowledge to inform each one. They’re at once operating a for-profit business and stewarding a community asset. In short, it’s a lot.

New general managers are typically described as drinking from a fire hose. Whether they came to the role as an internal promotion or external hire, each new GM has parts of their new responsibilities where they need help. Columinate’s GM Development Program attempts to turn the fire hose into a water fountain. Businesses that utilize the GM Development Program can choose among a variety of modules tailored to the needs and skills of the incoming GM. The supports offered by the program breaks down challenging aspects of the new role into individual lessons.

Dilley and Talley at Detroit People’s Food Co-op

Detroit People’s Food Co-op in Michigan utilized the GM Development Program for their GM, Akil Talley. Talley started with Detroit People’s about three months before the store opened. The co-op had hired through Columinate an Interim General Manager, Chris Dilley, to steward the process of opening. Chris and Akil worked closely together once Akil was hired, in what became a strong partnership.

Said Talley, “I would recommend it if you are blessed to have someone like Chris to steer the ship while showing you the ropes.”

Dilley is equally complimentary of the job Talley has done in the new role. “When Akil was hired, he was hand and glove with the community. The dude is a pro. It was as easy as can be to start to work side by side. We shared the load and shared a brain in some ways. We had to develop a sense of how we would do this together. We found our path together. He’s an asset to that co-op.”

Talley came to Detroit People’s with extensive grocery retail and restaurant experience, but he had to learn managing a cooperative grocer. He had worked for Whole Foods for over fifteen years, ten of them in leadership. He also had been GM and chef of the Oak House Deli in Royal Oak, Michigan. To get up to speed on co-ops, Talley used the host training store module through GM Development. He was placed for four weeks at another Michigan co-op, GreenTree in Mt. Pleasant, to learn on the job with an experienced general manager.

“It allowed me the opportunity to visit other co-ops and learn through osmosis. This process helped usher me into this position with tons of grace and room for my inevitable mistakes,” explained Talley.

After the experience at GreenTree, Talley returned to Detroit People’s, where he and Dilley began to hire staff in anticipation of opening the store in early May 2024. Dilley also helped to orient Talley to the differences of operating a co-op, especially working with a board of directors.

“Being able to watch how Chris took the lead in certain areas while deferring to the board in others definitely taught me a good balance between matters that are operational and those that are outside of the scope of the GM’s role,” said Talley.

Additional guided coursework from Columinate

In addition to the host store training module, the GM Development Program offers a variety of guided coursework with subject matter experts from Columinate. Topics include financial document literacy, leveraging data and category management, marketing strategies, and building HR practices. The ability to take courses in topic areas that are most in need of development for the new GM creates a strong value for the co-op. A leadership assessment available to boards of the incoming GM’s skills can help to determine which areas to focus on early in their tenure.

“It depends on the capacity of the individual you hire,” said Dilley. “Long term topics like budgeting and business planning could require additional follow up, but it’s a really excellent package.”

Talley was extremely happy with the time he spent working and training with Dilley. The two managers overlapped in the store for three months before opening, and another two months after Detroit People’s opened in May. Said Talley about Dilley’s interim role, “It can’t be stressed enough, he had the perfect mix of level-headed temperament, patience but still the ability to push team members (and myself) when necessary, and doggedness that wouldn’t allow him to take a day off or halfway put effort into a task. If you can find that mix in an IGM, I would highly recommend signing up for the GM Development program.”

Detroit People’s and Talley are continuing with the GM Development Program, utilizing the training modules and ongoing support. “Currently,” explains Talley, “I am doing financial acumen training with an accountant. There’s also a 38-week program aimed at continuing the tutoring I received while working with Chris.”

Turning the firehose into a water fountain for your new GM and letting their existing skills shine while supporting new areas is the best way a Board can set the organization up for success.  The GM Development Program offers a wide variety supports that can be personalized, because no two co-ops are the same.