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APEX - Achieving Personal Excellence - running since 1991

The only genuine participant centered learning with proven results

Documented and verified business benefits:

  • Over £900k saving per person
  • £7.5 M saving related to Apex. One project saved £3.5M
  • 72% of participants report more than significant improvements post Apex
  • Apex has been used by over 30 major corporations in their preferred personal improvement programmes for over 20 Years
  • Apex delivers to both academic and commercial standards
  • Apex has been awarded transferable University Masters points

What happens, why is it so different?

Apex Image 01Unlike any other development event Apex introduces participants to new ways of thinking and problem solving. It is based on many years of management and leadership experience. It challenges each person to define their purpose, to take control of the events and direction of their lives and to begin to form pragmatic contracts with others.

At work Apex graduates solve problems better, ask the right questions, understand their contribution and develop more powerful relationships in which they demonstrate great levels of influence.

"The world can take many things from us, wealth, health, property; some things cannot be taken - Our pride and sense of worth. To lose those we would have to consent."

Building a sense of identity starts on Apex as the participant is asked to decide what they want to learn and to be very clear about what that learning will achieve. Their driving values come to light and are clarified, from then on Apex provides a rich personal learning environment in which to begin that process of achieving their real Purpose.

During Apex the client may choose any learning.

For guidance these are a small sample of the courses, interventions and subjects that are available during their event.

Assertiveness
Body language
Business communication skills
Business culture – understanding and changing
Business pragmatics
Communication skills
Dealing with emotion
Decision-making
Effective Business language
Entrepreneurship
Personal development Exercises
Questionnaires for personal development
Facilitation skills
Feedback systems
The future of Business
Influencing

Interpersonal control
Leadership attributes
Leadership authenticity
Leadership in a changing organisation
Learning Communities – Creating and sustaining
Learning skills
Listening skills
Management Skills
Managing arguments
Marketing
Meetings
Motivation
Negotiation skills
NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming
Personal control and achievement
Personal identity
Personal styles in action (KOLB)

Persuasion
Power and authority
Presentations
Problem solving
Psychology of change
Questioning skills
Questioning techniques
Questionnaires - designing
Selling skills
Telephone skills
Time management
Tools in management
Transactional Analysis in business
Values and behaviors
Vision and values
Voice training

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Introduction

Apex is not a course, it's a group event that you design for your needs, with our challenge and support. Kolb Learning Cycle

  • Introduction to levels of management and uncertainty – Behavioural flexibility Choices
  • Reactions to ambiguity poster
  • Leadership – personal and organisational
  • "Skills and attributes of a leader" uncertainty and ambiguity.
  • Awareness means choice (real choice) Life project 

Are there any rules?

  • Silence = agreement - Confidentiality – 30 minute absence – Out to lunch – Mistakes and learning
  • Interpersonal rules or choices
  • Making and refusing Commitments
  • Exquisitely not exclusively selfish / your choice - all our fault
  • Moral ambiguity – the Chris exercise
  • Choice of challenge – comfort, stretch , flow, panic Csíkszentmihályi Mihály
  • Culture and traps – Persecutor, Victim, Rescuer
  • Co-coaching Triads

Starting the process:

  • What would you need for any project? Now and in your life?
  • How long do you have? 8 hours sleep, travelling, admin, work...
  • Beliefs driven by culture
  • What have you got, want? How do you know, choose? Who are you?
  • How would you know what you really need? Top 3 important things to you.
  • Personal commentary exercises:
  • Top 3 test, obituary, Life-line, Trial ID, Drivers, Great philosophies
  • Choices - based on? - life styles, goal and journey beliefs.

A history of the development of client driven events.

In 1987 we restructured a senior management course to allow it to be designed and run by the participants.  The immediate success of this style created a revolution in how TSL designed and delivered course from that day on.  Our first contract was with the MoD and lasted 4 years, several other companies showed an interest including: BSI, British Gas, Glaxo Smith Kline.

In the early 1990s Clive Reynolds of Warwick University asked us to use these skills to design module on the Management MSc that was intended to bridge the gap between academia and industry.  The existing module had run once and had not delivered, still being too steeped in academic practice and theory.

The newly designed IPP was an immediate success scoring top marks across the board and TSL were employed to deliver the module from then on and 17 years later we are still delivering it.

In 2005 Network rail asked Warwick for a programme to develop managers.  As part of that programme our event provided the personal development element.  We suggested the name Apex – Achieving Personal Excellence that we had used in several of our clients before and seemed to fit the desired outcomes of Network Rail.  Network rail said that “Apex consistently delivered excellent results, more so than any other programme.”

Over the years TSL have developed materials to allow the event to deliver whatever the participant needs most, tailored specifically to the individual’s needs.  We now have over 300 x 1 hour powerful and impactful presentations, exercises and tasks to facilitate change and skills acquisition.