So you want to achieve Excellence? But where do you start? If like most people, you’ll want to begin by defining ‘Excellent’. Because surely that’s what we’re aiming for. Wrong.

The retrospective is a really simple tool for improving performance and providing feedback. It could be used in personal performance or team performance. Very easy to use and only takes a couple of minutes to complete.

Now Next and Later is a technique for putting first things first. It ensures clarity of communication and can be used with your team and the wider organisation.

As a leader, it’s really important to have a good understanding of your key performance indicators (KPIs). And a really simple tool is FCOP (a variation on the balanced scorecard approach).

A really simple tool for prioritising your workload and getting things done.

Now Next and Later is a technique for putting first things first. It ensures clarity of communication and can be used with your team and the wider organisation.

How will YOU generate new ideas and innovate this year? What tools will you use? Are you looking for a structured programme with fresh perspectives?

Another tool we use is our UCCI framework (it stands for Unconsciously Competent Consciously Incompetent!). UCCI is sometimes referred to as The Learning Cycle or The Learning Ladder.

One the areas we explore at Twelve Scholars is our Excellence Framework. It’s a way of defining standards and raising performance. It’s a system that helps get things done, helps you avoid perfection paralysis.