Our purpose is to work with leaders and organisations to build capacity and capability in order to achieve excellence. Our core work is in education, but we also work with businesses and not-for-profit organisations.
Well-known principal, educator and kaumātua Tame Kuka suggested these whakatauki (Māori proverb) to summarise what we do:
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu.
Equip the bird with feathers that it may fly.
Whāia te iti kahurangi. Ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei.
Pursue excellence – should you stumble, let it be to a lofty mountain.
Coaching and Mentoring
We facilitate, coach and mentor leaders to become more effective at what they do.
Appreciative Inquiry and Open to Learning Conversations are integral
We always start with what is already going well. We help leaders to identify the assumptions underlying their actions. We work with leaders to help them match espoused values with their actions.
Concrete, measurable outcomes
We are very focused on developing concrete, measurable outcomes with our clients. This is how we make sure that we really are helping leaders to become more effective in achieving what their organisations are there to do.
For example, in schools we equip leaders to become more effective leaders of learning by focusing on what we know makes the biggest difference.
'Arcos' is derived from the Greek word archon meaning 'leader' and arkhein meaning 'to begin', 'to rule', or 'to lead'. An arkhon was one of the chief magistrates of Ancient Athens. This is where we get our English words 'monarch', 'archbishop' and 'architect'. It has the sense of being first, or pre-eminent. Our word 'archaeology' is the study of 'first times' or 'beginnings'.
We, too are about leadership, initiating change and new beginnings.