Case Study - Planning For Change

"From day one of Excelus change is on the agenda"
But throughout Excelus change is not just talked about, you acquire practical tools, known and proven methods, as well as inspiration and encouragement and individual coaching to help you implement change. This covers both yourself as a person and the Company you lead.

The key planning buzz-words at Excelus are "What does good look like?" Presenters use it, personal coaches use it, and even course colleagues, supposedly your trusted confidantes and supporters, will quickly remind you of it if they detect lack of clarity in personal or Company direction.
That's where planning starts in Excelus. "What does good look like?" determines where you want to go. Then all you have to do is develop the action plan.
Action plans are fine. But every move is a change from where you were. And how many of us owner managers, never mind our colleagues in the Company, immediately like to change?
I believe this is where Excelus, as a development programme, comes into its own. Once again, in come the tried and trusted methods, the encouragement, and the personal coaching to get everyone in the Company to buy into "What good looks like". Everyone gets involved in drawing up the action plan since, to use another Excelus buzz-phrase, "people make happen what they have helped to create".
One of the hardest things for anyone running their own business is to learn to let go of things and to let others lead. This was certainly true in my case. Excelus, however, has helped me to change. Gradually I'm learning to encourage others to solve their own problems rather than jumping in myself to fix things for them. I'm learning to ask more questions of people, rather than always give the answers. And I'm learning to let others take responsibility and run with it.
Here at TOMCAT Systems, the various teams now set their own goals and objectives, and what I've found is that these are usually higher than the goals I would have set for them. Furthermore, because they set the goals, they have ownership of them, and are more motivated to achieve them. Everyone feels they have a key role to play, that they can and do make a difference.
We have changed, we are changing, and so am I thanks to Excelus. It's a programme I would recommend to anyone who owns a business and let's face it, how many Northern Ireland programmes get a favourable mention in the one of the worlds premiere business newspapers namely the Financial Times.

Stephen Gunning
Managing Director
Tomcat Systems Ltd