Happy Spring, All!
Your Board has been busy making plans to start 2023 strong with an eye towards the future. As a Board, we agreed that strategic planning was a priority for us this year and as such, we voted to hire a strategic planning consultant in January.
It feels appropriate that we are digging into Strategic Planning this spring. Spring is a time of openness and emergence and those settings create space for innovation, creativity and generative thinking. As we embark on this, we know we have a solid foundation to build upon and to help us map a course for the future. It is no small feat that the Willy Street Co-op has been nurtured by the community for almost 50 years.
Retreat
A core part of this strategic planning process will take place in early May where our consultant will bring the Board and General Manager team together for a day-long retreat that will encourage big thinking about the future of the Co-op. The outcomes of this retreat will set the stage for the Board and GM team to further distill and articulate three strategic priorities that incorporate broader stakeholder input. Strategic priorities serve as a screen for decision making and help us both lean into the work that best aligns with our goals and say no to the work that might steer us off course. They will build off of and incorporate our diversity, equity, and inclusion work and also be in support of our mission, vision, and purpose.
Priorities
This is important work that includes all of us. These priorities will guide and focus Board and staff work to ensure it is in service of a shared vision for how we want our Co-op to show up in the world to remain competitive, impactful, and relevant. It’s where we will decide things like, are new stores part of the plan? And if so, where and under what parameters, and what kind? To ensure a truly shared vision, we will be creating opportunities for you all to participate in this process and share your feedback and thoughts on the future of Willy Street Co-op. We will also be presenting on this work at our 2023 Annual Meeting. Watch for more information to come in the months that follow.
If you have any questions or comments about this process feel free to reach out to me, Sarah Larson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..