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Search results for: Jade Barker

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5th Dec, 2017

Everyone Welcome? Examining Race and Food Co-ops

By |2023-05-05T20:05:58-04:00December 5th, 2017|

By Patricia Cumbie, Jade Barker "The questions which one asks oneself begin, at least, to illuminate the world, and become one’s key to the experience of others."—James A. Baldwin Part of our professional work is to support people acting together for a common purpose. We do this by working with co-ops to improve their relationships with all their stakeholders—owners, staff, board, managers, communities—to better [...]

8th Sep, 2016

Master the Fundamentals of Governance Leadership

By |2023-05-05T20:06:50-04:00September 8th, 2016|

Good leaders often ask this question:  what would set us up for success?  Most of the time the answer is simple.  Master the fundamentals.  By being good at the basics—like being committed to consistent governance systems and applying respectful, inclusive communication to discussions and decisions—success as a board member is most-likely assured.  Yet, it’s harder than it looks in practice.  That’s exactly why fundamentals [...]

10th Dec, 2015

Components of a Successful System of Accountable Empowerment

By |2023-05-05T20:29:24-04:00December 10th, 2015|

Accountable Empowerment It is always important for a co-op board of directors to have good systems of accountability in place to provide proper and strategic oversight of the general manager.  With strongly increasing demand for natural and organic products resulting in more pressure from competitors, cooperatives need to strengthen operations, and at the same time effectively communicate the value the cooperative brings to its [...]

22nd Aug, 2015

Building Partnerships Across Race and Class

By |2023-05-05T20:06:28-04:00August 22nd, 2015|

By Jade Barker 179 July-August 2015 Cooperative grocery stores across the country are making efforts to integrate their cooperatives across race and class. How did they get into this work? What are they doing? What are they learning? And what are the benefits? Seeking answers to these questions, I reached out to a handful of the many co-ops involved in diversifying their staff and [...]

12th Feb, 2015

Grab and Go Governance

By |2023-05-05T20:07:32-04:00February 12th, 2015|

  Ever had someone ask that simple question: What is the board's job anyway? and wondered where to start? The CDS Consulting Co-op model for cooperative governance, the Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance can help! We identify four pillars built on a foundation of Cooperative Identity that lead to the success of the cooperative. Each piece helps tell the story of the board's job. At the top is Success of [...]

9th Nov, 2011

Electronic Communication

By |2023-05-24T11:25:09-04:00November 9th, 2011|

Many boards of retail food cooperatives rely heavily on electronic communication tools to handle logistic and administrative matters and to share and store board documents.   For a board with strong communication skills, properly used electronic tools facilitate the administrative details of board service.  For boards working to build trust and communication skills, email in particular can create or add to misunderstandings. Electronic Communication basics: [...]

21st Mar, 2020

Everyone Welcome Chatinar

By |2023-05-05T20:04:42-04:00March 21st, 2020|

The authors of Everyone Welcome? Personal Narratives about Race and Food Co-ops believe that bridging the racial divide starts first with encouraging inquiry and engagement that leads toward greater awareness, problem-solving, and embracing radical change.  They know starting and sustaining conversations about race are not always easy. 

12th Sep, 2018

Using Monitoring Reports to Ensure Organizational Alignment

By |2023-06-20T23:00:16-04:00September 12th, 2018|

  The Board’s Job Creating board policies is no easy task. Clearly articulating the board’s expectations of a general manager takes a lot of energy and focus—so boards can justifiably congratulate themselves once they’ve written down their expectations in a way that a manager can easily understand. But the board’s work doesn’t end there. Many boards, once they’ve created their policies and learned to [...]

12th Jul, 2017

Everyone Welcome? Considering Race and Food Co-ops

By |2023-05-05T20:06:17-04:00July 12th, 2017|

Three years ago, we were participants in a workshop designed to raise awareness of racial bias, particularly in progressive organizations. As part of that Training for Change session in Minneapolis in 2014, everyone was asked what we would like to do as next steps. Part of our professional work as consultants is to bring a variety of people together in co-ops to better [...]

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