Power Triggers, Seesaw Battles and Handcar Cooperation
By Art Sherwood 154 May - June - 2011 Most would agree that a healthy board-general manager relationship not only makes the co-op run more smoothly, it is a critical connection between member-owners and [...]
Cultivate Board Candidates through Ongoing Recruitment
Here’s an uncomfortably familiar scenario. In the time leading up to board elections, directors are scrambling to find people to run for the board. A bit of panic ensues: Will there be enough interest from [...]
Boards Are Empowered by and Accountable to Members
Members are the foundation of all cooperatives. They are the source of capital and control as well as patronage of the co-op. The co-op’s purpose is built around their shared values and their needs, and [...]
Officer Elections
Within a well-functioning democracy, the process by which we choose our leaders is at least as important as whom we choose. The quality of the conversation we have about elections, board culture and leadership qualifications [...]
Precautions and Protections: Summarizing legal responsibilities of cooperative boards
By Thane Joyal, Dave Swanson 153 March - April - 2011 As cooperative directors, it's important that we know our jobs. Some parts of that job are personal to us: we bring interests, skills, and [...]
Hiring for Motivational Fit
Why do some people enjoy a job and stay with it for years while others seem unhappy and leave—or stay on but complain, come to work late, and call in sick more than others? Why [...]
Why Rehash the Old When You Can Start New? Try Fresh Start Bylaws
It is the duty of boards to keep the co-op’s bylaws up to date on behalf of the membership, yet board members sometimes feel it is an overwhelming and potentially tedious task. That’s why [...]
Bill Gessner to Be Inducted into Co-op Hall of Fame
Bill Gessner likes working with people, and most of the time, you’ll find him wherever groups are creating plans for the future. Throughout his career, Bill has worked with hundreds of food co-ops and many [...]
Enact the Empowerment Stream to Build Shared Values
Looking to the Cooperative Principles, it is clear that cooperatives are by design set up to be empowering organizations. From the first principle to the last, from open membership to concern for community, all [...]