Insights


Our thinking on high-performance in individuals, teams and organisations

The resources on this page include client case studies, thought leadership from ourselves and others, plus our own showreels. We hope you enjoy.

Featured


Podcast

Feb 2018 - In this podcast, Justin Hughes joins LID Radio to talk about what we all need in order to have great and objective decision making plus how to control the factors, risks and culture that come with decisions in order to create authentic and...

Most popular


Red Teaming & Wargaming
NCI Agency brand logo
TalkingHead-video
Building an ethical high-performance culture

Insights library


Team effectiveness
Article

What I've learned about improving team effectiveness fast

Oct 2017 - While at business school (some might say a competitive environment – indeed some would say that might suit me…), I took part in a marketing strategy exercise. The basic concept was that each team was given a lot of background context and data, on...

red-arrows-team-performance
Article

Former Red Arrows executive director on how YOU can build a high-performance team

Sep 2017 - Justin Hughes, a former fighter pilot and executive director of the Red Arrows – shares the principles you can instil in your people and your personal leadership to make your team greater than the sum of its parts There’s a teambuilding offsite...

Get-active-with-apps
Article

Get Active With Apps - 3 Team Tech Tactics For Peak Productivity

Sep 2017 - SMALL STEPS You may have seen a report recently that just 10 minutes per day of brisk walking reduces the risk of early death by 15%. Despite my general scepticism of any catchy statistic that hits the press[1], the principle of getting people to be...

Learn or Die by Edward D. Hess
Article

"Learn Or Die: Using Science To Build A Leading-Edge Learning Organisation" by Edward D. Hess

Sep 2017 - While this is by no means the first or only book on business learning organisations, Learn Or Die by Edward D. Hess is a thoughtful, well-written and accessible look at the latest science of learning and how it can be applied. If you want a ‘how-to...

developing-high-performance-teams-video
Video

Developing High-Performance Teams

Jul 2017 - Mission Excellence Director and former Red Arrows leader, Jas Hawker answers the question he is asked the most - what is the key to developing a high performing team ?

alignment-in-cross-functional-teams-video
Video

Alignment in Cross Functional Teams

Jul 2017 - VP Operations at BP talks to Mission Excellence about the challenges facing cross functional project teams.

the-business-of-excellence-the-authors-perspective-video
Video

The Business of Excellence - the authors perspective

Jul 2017 - Justin Hughes, the author of The Business of Excellence (Bloomsbury), discusses the reasons for writing his book and touches on some of the themes that the book helps leaders & managers understand and address within their own organisations. The...

BBC-World-Business-Live-video
Video

BBC World Business Live

Jul 2017 - Justin Hughes interviewed on BBC Business Live reviewing current events

TalkingHead-video
Video

"The Debrief" TalkingHead August 2016

Jul 2017 - Mission Excellence's Justin Hughes dissects the team 'debrief'. Using examples from a Red Arrows debriefing session, Justin highlights how it can be used in a highly constructive and objective way to improve team performance.

NCI Agency brand logo
Case Study

Bespoke Executive Development

Jun 2017 - NATO Communications and Information Agency engages us for Executive Development NATO is an inter-governmental military alliance with 28 member states. Its Communication and Information Agency (NCIA) is responsible for all elements of communications...

staffordshire-county-council-brand-logo
Case Study

Delivering Operational Change

Jun 2017 - Mission Excellence supports a senior leadership team Staffordshire is the UK’s 15th largest county (of 90) by population and covers a varied geographical area with pockets of significant economic challenge. In 2011 and 2012, Mission Excellence was...

Prudential-brand-logo
Case Study

Learning from the best

Jun 2017 - Discover how we created a dynamic launchpad for Prudential Assurance's change management strategy.

Video

Speaker showreel

High performance teams seminar showreel
Video

High-performance teams seminar showreel

Leader of the Red Arrows
Video

Leader of the Red Arrows - Leadership

Jun 2017 - Leader of the Red Arrows talks to Mission Excellence about leadership and what it means from his perspective.

Justin Hughes, high performance teams
Video

High Performance Team Programme

Jun 2017 - Mission Excellence MD, Justin Hughes highlights the High Performance Team Programme , describing how it all began more than 13 years ago with his time in the Red Arrows. Justin describes the three modules: people, capability and delivery.

High Performance Team All Blacks
Video

High Performance Teams

Jun 2017 - Mission Excellence Director and former Red Arrows leader, Jas Hawker answers the question he is asked the most - what is the key to developing a high performing team ?

Key competencies Justin Hughes
Video

What are the key competencies required of a senior executive?

Jun 2017 - Mission Excellence MD, Justin Hughes highlights the challenges organisations face when they want leaders but they get managers. What are the key competencies required of a senior executive?

Senior team effectiveness
Video

Senior team effectiveness

Jun 2017 - Mission Excellence MD Justin Hughes describes the challenges facing senior teams and suggests solutions to improve team effectiveness .

Red Arrows
Video

Leader of the Red Arrows - Safety Culture

Jun 2017 - The leader of the Red Arrows talks to Mission Excellence about safety culture and how the pilots are equipped to deal with operating in a very high risk environment .

Coutts & Co logo
Case Study

Bringing the team together

Jun 2017 - Coutts & Co, the private banking arm of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, provides private banking and wealth management services for clients worldwide. In 2007 Mission Excellence was commissioned to deliver a series of team development...

Risk Assessment
Download

Risk & Safety Management Overview

May 2017 - A Cultural Approach to Risk and Safety Management For a combination of ethical, operational and legal reasons, not to mention fallout from some high-profile events, risk and safety management are rising ever higher on the organisational agenda...

Letter to America
Download

Letter to America: A warning from Europe

May 2017 - This thought leadership paper by S.Bungay & R. Homkes offers a quick tour of the evolution of systems of government, bringing us right up to the UK's EU Referendum. It weighs up the impact of the Referendum, considers UK's global relationships,...

Mission Excellence Brochure cover
Download

Mission Excellence Brochure: Corporate Overview

May 2017 - High performance is not a theory; it’s a practice Our vision: To be the first choice partner for organisations genuinely committed to high performance. We both consult and develop, leaving clients upskilled for sustainable performance improvement...

Safety helmets
White Paper

Performance, Culture & Risk

May 2017 - Download a white paper by Justin Hughes, Mission Excellence Managing Director, on culture and risk management.

Management, Leadership and the Team Game
White Paper

Management, Leadership and the Team Game

May 2017 - Justin Hughes examines, from a practical perspective, the systemic weaknesses in ‘traditional’ methods of assessment, training and reward for corporate executives.

Red Teaming & Wargaming
White Paper

Red Teaming & Wargaming

May 2017 - Operations Director, Jas Hawker offers an insight into how organisations can adapt approaches used in the military to improve their ability to successfully execute winning business strategies in constantly changing environments.

Executing Strategy
White Paper

Executing Strategy

May 2017 - Stephen Bungay takes a new look at the problem of making strategy happen and finds an old solution from somewhere unexpected.

Strategy, Leadership & Organisation
White Paper

Strategy, Leadership and Organisation

May 2017 - These three words form the basis of thousands of books, articles and executive education programmes. How do you cut through the noise? We have captured some of the key lessons and observations from our partner and Advisory Board member, Dr Stephen...

Building an ethical high-performance culture
White Paper

Recommendations for Building and Maintaining an Ethical High-Performance Culture

May 2017 - In the wake of the VW emissions scandal, the latest white paper from Mission Excellence explores how leaders can grow their business with good ethics at the core of the company's culture.

What Price Leadership
White Paper

What Price Leadership?

May 2017 - Published in September 2016, this paper explores the relative importance of leadership as one of the key competencies required of a senior executive. The case for investment in values and leadership is explored including the correlation between the...

What you need to know about the Military Reserves
White Paper

Insights: What you need to know about the Military Reserves

May 2017 - Government policy means that more Armed Forces reservists are being recruited by the MOD. This paper explores the benefits & dynamics of the relationship for both employers & their employees who have commitments as a reservist.

Justin Hughes' blog


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