Improving business performance and the people responsible for it.
ACS Executive Performance works with business owners and senior executives to improve the performance of the business and their own effectiveness within it. We combine practical business advice, independent challenge, structured accountability and executive coaching. Everything is focused on delivering measurable progress and stronger commercial results.
Better results require more than a plan.
A business can have a sound strategy and still underperform.
Results depend on the decisions people make, the actions they take, the standards they accept and their willingness to follow things through. That is why we look at the business and the people responsible for it together.
We help clients understand the complete picture, identify what is preventing progress and concentrate on the changes that will make the greatest difference.
Sometimes that means asking the questions that reveal the real issue. At other times, it means giving practical advice, sharing experience, challenging a decision or holding someone accountable for what they have agreed to do.
Two routes to stronger performance.
Business Performance Partnership.
For business owners who want better results, greater control and an experienced independent perspective.
We work alongside owners to improve profitability, execution, management accountability, business structure and owner independence.
The relationship combines practical commercial advice, honest challenge and structured accountability. We help establish the current position, agree what needs to improve, turn priorities into measurable actions and review whether those actions are producing the required result.
Where the owner’s own decisions, habits or behaviour are affecting performance, that becomes part of the work too.
Executive Coaching.
For senior managers, directors and executives who need to become more effective in their current position or prepare for greater responsibility.
Executive Coaching helps individuals improve decision making, strategic thinking, confidence, communication, influence and commercial effectiveness.
Every engagement is tailored to the individual and connected to the results they are expected to achieve for the organisation.
Why clients work with us.
Real business experience
Our team members have extensive senior management and commercial experience. We understand the pressures of making decisions, managing people and being accountable for results.
Honest advice and challenge
We say what we think. We challenge constructively and do not avoid difficult subjects when they are affecting performance.
Support built around the client
Every client and every business is different. Our work is built around the situation, objectives and people involved.
Personal attention
Our work is delivered one to one. Clients receive focused support from an experienced business adviser or executive coach.
Measurable progress
We agree what needs to change, identify how progress will be measured and regularly review the result.
The results our clients are working towards
Depending on the client, these may include:
Improved profitability
Clearer priorities
Stronger execution
Better commercial decisions
More accountable managers
Greater management capability
Increased business value
Less reliance on the owner
More effective senior executives
Successful succession or transition
Greater control, confidence and direction
Practical, direct and focused on results.
We do not force every situation through a rigid system or consultancy model.
Our role changes according to what the client needs. We listen, ask questions, notice patterns, challenge assumptions, share our opinions and bring relevant business experience into the conversation.
Our work follows a clear process.
Understand the current position
We establish what is happening now, what is working, what is not working and how current performance will be measured.
Agree what needs to improve
We define the result the client wants to achieve and identify the issues preventing progress.
Turn priorities into action
We agree practical actions, responsibilities, timescales and measures of success.
Review, learn and adapt
We review what has happened, measure the result and decide whether to continue, adapt or stop an action.
This creates accountability without losing the flexibility required to respond to what is actually happening in the business.
Working with business owners.
Running a business can make it difficult to step back and see the complete picture.
Owners often know that something needs to change but can become absorbed by immediate problems, competing priorities and the daily responsibility of keeping the business moving.
We provide an experienced and independent perspective.
This can include helping owners:
Improve profitability and commercial performance
Turn plans and priorities into action
Strengthen management accountability
Make better commercial decisions
Create clearer roles, structures and systems
Build a more capable management team
Reduce the business’s dependence on them
Prepare for growth, succession or sale
Develop their own effectiveness as a business owner
The business and the owner are closely connected. Sustainable improvement often requires changes in both.
Working with organisations.
We work with organisations that want stronger performance from senior managers, directors and future executives.
This may include individuals who are:
Taking on greater responsibility
Moving into a senior or board level position
Managing larger teams or more complex functions
Navigating significant organisational change
Preparing for future succession
Technically capable but needing stronger people or commercial skills
Already performing well but capable of achieving more
Executive Coaching provides a confidential and challenging environment in which individuals can understand their impact, make better decisions and become more effective in the role.
Did you know we also offer recruitment services?
We also provide recruitment services through our sister company, ACS Executive Recruitment.
ACS Executive Recruitment specialises in permanent, temporary and contract recruitment across manufacturing, engineering and logistics businesses.
Download our free ebook.
Stepping back without stepping away.
Many successful business owners eventually become indispensable to the company they have built.
Our free guide explores why this happens and what owners can do to create a business that performs without their constant involvement.
Whether you want to scale the business, reduce pressure, prepare for sale or create more personal freedom, the guide will help you understand the changes required.
Discover our latest news and articles.
Frequently asked questions.
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It is an ongoing working relationship focused on improving business results and the effectiveness of the people responsible for achieving them.
It combines practical advice, independent challenge, structured accountability and focused personal development.
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We do both.
We challenge the client’s thinking and help them develop their own understanding, but we also share our opinions, commercial experience and practical recommendations.
The client remains responsible for making the final decision and implementing it.
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The starting point is business performance. We focus on doing things that create results.
We agree what needs to improve, identify what is preventing progress and measure the results of the actions taken. Coaching is used where greater awareness or personal development will help the client make better decisions and achieve stronger results.
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Common areas include profitability, growth, diversification, execution, management accountability, business structure, owner dependence, growth, succession and preparing the business for sale.
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We establish the current position, define the required outcome and agree how improvement will be measured.
Actions are regularly reviewed to establish whether they are producing the intended result.
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Executive Coaching focuses on improving the effectiveness of an individual in a senior business role.
It can include decision making, confidence, communication, influence, strategic thinking, managing people and preparing for greater responsibility.
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Yes. We can work with individual members of a management team to improve accountability, decision making, management effectiveness and ownership of business performance.
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Yes. Individual conversations are confidential. Where an organisation is funding Executive Coaching, the objectives and measurement of progress are agreed clearly at the beginning.