• Navigating the GM Compensation & Evaluation Processes

Discussion and Process Guide for GM Compensation

By |July 28th, 2021|

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.

  • Navigating the GM Compensation & Evaluation Processes

Discussion and Process Guide for GM Evaluation

By |July 28th, 2021|

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.

Return on Investment of Columinate’s Management on Contract Services

By |March 21st, 2021|

When co-ops enter a time of transition, they can turn to Columinate's group of experts available for contract management services. These folks step in as Interim General Managers (IGMs) to work fast and smart, implementing lasting change for their clients. Ranging from a few months to a few years, IGM engagements are meant to bridge a co-op from Point A to Point B.

  • Board Meeting

Board Meeting Packets: A CBLD Field Guide

By |March 17th, 2021|

A meeting packet should help directors prepare for the meeting. After reading the packet, a director should know what the meeting will be about and should have all the information necessary to fully participate in all discussions and to make any decisions that the board will make at the meeting. Establishing a rhythm and discipline in creating, distributing and reading meeting packets can help make the board meetings themselves that much more productive and enjoyable.

  • Community Foods Co-op at Night

Day Shift vs. Night Shift

By |March 16th, 2021|

Us and them.  Maybe it’s human nature for groups to form an identity in opposition to others. In competition between sports teams and businesses, this tendency can be channeled in a positive direction. However, when it emerges within a business or a single department between those who work the early shift and the late shift, the rivalry becomes destructive to morale and productivity.

Huddles Not Pinballs

By |February 22nd, 2021|

As the manager of a large prepared foods department decades ago it struck me that I not only had loads of information to share with staff, but that they also had suggestions and best practices to share — and not just with me but, at least as importantly, with one another.

The Care Interview

By |February 22nd, 2021|

Carolee Colter and Mark Mulcahy previously presented a series of webinars for Canadian Health Food Association on “The Rewards of a Burnout-free Workplace.” They recommended that store owners and managers hold “Care Interviews” built on five questions, with each of their staff members. Here’s how a Care Interview might go.