Board Decisions Between Meetings
As a general practice, boards should avoid making decisions between regular meetings. A large part of the value of having a board in a leadership position is that good decisions can come from incorporating many [...]
When and Who to Hire (or Contract) for Startups
As a new co-op project progresses through the 3 stages of the development process and the workload and complexity of the co-op development process increases, founding team and board members often wonder when to hire [...]
Courageous Leadership Today Stronger Co-ops Tomorrow
As Director of Co-op Development for NCG, Dave Olson has a unique perspective on what it'll take for co-ops to survive and thrive in this 'New Normal' of increased competition and slowing sales growth. In [...]
The Hero’s Journey of Growth
Delene Porter, the General Manager at Daily Groceries in Athens, GA shares what she calls the Hero's Journey that is the path for the future of her co-op. Shedding parts of their past, acquiring skills [...]
Baking Bread, Building Bonds
Jon McDonald, Bread Baker and Board Member at Weaver Street Market in North Carolina shares his views on leadership and collaboration through the lenses of the several hats that he wears within his cooperative.
Focus, Alignment, and Vision Around Ends
Steve Breckheimer, Board Member at Hendersonville Community Co-op in Hendersonville, NC describes two different versions of what alignment can look like and why alignment is so critical to Ends accomplishment. Then he tells a story [...]
Scaling for Success
River Valley Co-op in Northampton, MA is a jewel among startups with over $25M in annual sales and robust growth. Rochelle Prunty, the GM at RVC takes us through the co-ops history, as well as [...]
Leadership Means Learning from Our Mis-Steps
At Onion River/City Market in Burlington, VT mistakes were made involving staff inclusion. Kyle Larson tells the story from his perspective and highlights the strengths in leadership through this harrowing experience that allowed City Market [...]
Be The Bamboo
John Tashiro shares with us some of the "wisdom of the Bamboo". Tashiro, the newly appointed General Manager at Onion River / City Market in Burlington, VT applies some of this wisdom to being courageous [...]
Stories of Courageous Leaders
Cooperative Hall of Fame inductee Ann Hoyt tells a tale of three of her top picks for people that displayed courageous leadership in the face of impossible odds. Hear about the work of Abraham Shadid, [...]