Personal Leadership Programme Testimonials
Our organization wanted to run a leadership development program and wanted to strengthen team bonding, so we decide to participate in Maurice Whelan’s Personal Leadership Program. Maurice was an excellent facilitator and set the right tone for the 3-day program right off the bat with his open and honest communication style. The setting was ideal, at an old house along the coastline of Dalkey and inspired the team members to be open with each other. It was the first time our team felt so close to each other after almost a year working together and it was surprising to discover more aspects of our colleagues’ personalities. Maurice interpersonal skills are second to none and the team really trusted him from the get-go. The Personal Leadership Plan helped us, not only professionally but also on a deeper more personal level. This has been an amazing experience and I would recommend Maurice to any group of professionals that want to create deeper team bonds and learn more about themselves.
Loukas Tourkomanis
I recently attended the Personal Leadership Programme in Kilashee House, Co Kildare. The programme was excellently facilitated by Maurice Whelan and was attended by some great people from diverse backgrounds which added huge value to the experience. The tone for the 3 day programme was set from the outset with Maurice’s open and engaging style which encouraged us participants to follow suit. The experience was subtle and demanded a level of introspection and honesty, which was helped by the group dynamic. For any leader looking to take the next step, look no further. The personal Leadership Programme provides the learning experience and tool set to grow your capabilities as a leader. For that and the personal connections I made throughout the programme, I can’t recommend Maurice and the PLP highly enough.
Derek Goggin
I recently went on the Personal Leadership Programme with Maurice Whelan and I can safely say it was one of the best career moves I have made to date. I have no doubt that the comradery and sense of team within the group was not by chance, it was due to Maurice’s outstanding ability to elicit the best from any person that he comes in contact with. As CEO of a large charitable organisation, one of the biggest surprises of all was that the material used in the course can be directly translated into every aspect of my personal life! To anyone out there even considering completing the course, my message to them is…….it has proven results, it changes your mind set and it works!!
Mary McCarthy
I was fortunate to have experienced The Personal Leadership Programme with Maurice Whelan, never before have I seen a facilitator give so much to a group in terms of his commitment, openness and honesty. Maurice’s passion for his subject was evident throughout the 3 days and every participant remained engaged. The learning took place in a very informal relaxed manner, but the learning was powerful and its impact significant. Participants are provided with a tool set to embed into their work and home life and the impact of this can be life changing. What was amazing was that on day three when participants had been using the tools for a period of two weeks the feedback and changes experienced by all was incredible.
Deirdre Rigby
Before starting the Personal Leadership Programme, my expectations would have been similar to any course I have attended. I would have been open to learn and would have expected to leave with at least one thing that I would use to help my career. I cannot tell how far that was from the truth. The course changed my thinking. I now interact with my colleagues in a totally different way, which has improved my work relationships and we are delivering better results with an improved working environment. More importantly, it changed my thinking and the way I interact with people in my personal life. The tools and the skills that Maurice shared with us have already become invaluable. It is not a system or a process, it’s a different way of thinking, about how you react with the people around you to achieve the greatest of results. The group of 10 that attended the course would support this view. We all continue to be in contact and have shared experiences and supported each other, long since the course has finished. We would all agree that the course has changed our lives for the better.
“Managers Drive success but Leaders Inspire success”
This quote describes the course and it also describes Maurice Whelan. His openness and his talent to inspire individuals helped us all to grasp the changes that would occur as a result of the lessons within the course. It might sound a bit of an exaggeration but this course leaves you with a gift that you can then share with others. I have achieved better results and more satisfaction from my work and my personal life after completing the course. I have spent 9 years in college and university achieving different qualifications and I got more out of these 3 days than all those courses put together. Tom Cullen
Having recently completely “Personal Leadership Programme” training with Unleash Your Potential I would highly recommend it to organisations that want their managers and teams to be the best. Unlike other courses, this gets to the heart of leadership, and gives you a toolkit for the workplace. It is simple, yet extremely effective. The benefits are instant and the toolkit is easy to implement with little or no additional cost to the Organisation. As a facilitator Maurice takes you under his wing and brings the course alive in a way that other facilitators fail to do. I was very impressed with his professionalism and degree of engagement to ensure we fully benefited from the training. It truly is amazing training and so worthwhile.
Christina Hughes
For me the Personal Leadership Programme (PLP) with Maurice Whelan was eye opening and literally life-changing. I went in with an open mind and took away a treasure chest of simple tools and techniques for driving better performance. From the outset on Day One I realised this was not like any training I was ever on before. Maurice’s approach is straightforward, authentic, positive, inspirational and powerful and it applies equally to leadership and life in general. Through the three days of interaction with Maurice and the rest of the group in attendance, I developed a fundamentally different understanding of the words Responsibility, Authenticity, Empowerment, Appreciation, Teamwork, Communication. I also discovered how to leverage the relationship between beliefs and behaviours and how this relates to performance. In my fellow participants, I got to know and appreciate the experiences and strengths of a diverse group of people and I learned there is so much untapped potential in those around us, waiting to be unleashed! It was a real pleasure and an enriching experience to meet and work with Maurice and I would recommend the PLP with Maurice Whelan to anyone.
Neil Kingston
Attending Maurice’s course resulted in 2 great things happening for me– I met a soul-mate in Maurice and learned how to optimise the leader within myself and to flourish. Good leaders manage but great leaders inspire and empower others to be the great person that they are and that’s what Maurice shares and facilitates. It’s not simple but not overly complex – just authentic.
Jovita O’Byrne
The PLP was a really valuable and enjoyable experience for me. The way Maurice presented the course, facilitatedthe group and created an atmosphere of fun, learning and honest reflection was great. Also, the real world experience of both Maurice and the other group members meant that concepts were easily translated into real world examples and that I was constantly challenged and engaged with discussions and tasks. The group bond that developed over the course of the three days is one that will last and I feel privileged to be a part of this group now. I am also motivated to continue with both my personal and professional development and this course has helped me, and will continue to help me, on that path.
Niall Hayden
I attended the Personal Leadership Programme in January 2014. The program empowered me not only to be a better leader for my people but also to become a better person in my own personal life. The course was cleverly structured and very well delivered by Maurice Whelan. The first 2 days we learnt about the main pillars of leadership and we tested some of these techniques in the classroom, we then had a 2 weeks break to embed our learnings into our day to day life and it worked! I cannot recommend Maurice and the Personal Leadership Programme enough as for the first time ever a course did make a big difference in the way I run my life.
Raffaella Bonomonte
After talking around (and reading these testimonials) our company decided to bring Maurice in to discuss the opportunity to work together. Our cross-functional and multi-cultural team was strong, but never before had we all sat down together to grow as a leadership team – and that’s exactly what Maurice delivered on. Over the course of the 3 days we were challenged to work together in a positive and supportive environment and walked away with tangible, actionable items to take to our teams the very next day. What was so successful was seeing immediate improvement in both the way our team worked together, but also the impact that had on the greater operations in our office. Within days, we’d completed our homework activities, started to spread the learnings to our other offices and scheduled our own internal trainings to boost communication and workplace culture. This program was a fantastic foundation for our leadership skills to grow and develop and we’re excited to see how they play out over the next 6-12 months. And to top it off, the skills are easily transferable to daily life and helping us improve on a personal level as well! Highly recommended for groups looking to come together in a unique way while building strong personal and professional relationships.
Rob MedinaThe Personal Leadership Programme (PLP) is an excellent opportunity to stop and reflect on what is important and why! It is an opportunity to step back from your hectic work environment for 3 days and really think about what you wish to get out of life and your role. It reminds you that it’s all about choices, but you are the one to make those choices, and only you are in control. The tools and models used allow you to acknowledge where change is necessary in order for you to be that effective leader. The section on beliefs and behaviours will resonate with every individual. Being mindful of these beliefs and behaviours and making the choice, to make small changes can have a huge impact not only for you, but also on the engagement and effectiveness of your teams. The sessions, led by Maurice were excellent, they were motivational and thought provoking. Maurice’s authentic style and introduction on the first day really captured the group and took us to a much deeply level of participation and the honestly shared was far greater than I have ever experienced on a programme like this one before.
Liz Maguire
The Personal Leadership Programme is a life-changing experience. From a work and personal point of view, this course, delivered by Maurice Whelan allows you to examine your own and other’s behaviour, which enables the participants to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to change both their own, and others behaviour. The three-day course is without doubt an overwhelmingly beneficial course in terms of understanding communication and behaviours, and making the most of the situations that crop up repeatedly in work and personal lives. I would recommend this course to everyone who wants to unleash their own potential and, ultimately, be happier in their lives. Besides all the life-changing aspects, it is an elite experience in terms of a comfortable, fun, and progressive course which is unique in nature and I would love to do it all over again!
Dominique Ellickson
I attended the Personal Leadership Programme, which was conducted by Maurice Whelan of Unleash Potential. It was, without question, the best Training Course with which I have ever been involved. From the very beginning Maurice set a positive, open-discussion tone for the course, which allowed myself and the other participants to get the most out of the three-day experience. The topics and subject matter were informative and the engagement between the attendees of the course and Maurice was of the highest quality. There is no doubt that the positive one-to-one and group engagement that developed throughout the course was a result of Maurice’s professional influence and facilitation skills. In other words – the guy knows how to get the most out of the participants! I will be incorporating a great deal of what I learned from the course in my dealings with work colleagues, friends and my own personal/professional development. Maurice Whelan made the Personal Leadership Programme very real for the attendees and ensured that they will continue to use and develop what they learned well after the course was over.
Mike Kindle
I recently completed the Personal Leadership Programme, facilitated by Maurice. The course offers a completely different perspective and approach to leadership and how as a leader you can approach every day challenges and circumstances. It helped me truly deepen my understanding of my own leadership style and how that impacts me and others, both inside and outside of work.
Margaret Ward
Attending the Personal Leadership Programme, run by Unleash Potential, was the one of the best decisions I’ve made in 2014. The programme was inspiring & creative, highly interactive and gave me new insights and confidence in my capability to create a sustainable leadership culture within my business and a foundation for success and growth. It was a really good networking opportunity, where leadership theory was brought to life in a very practical manner. The 3 day programme provided an excellent environment for reflection and group interaction with a wonderfully diverse group of people. The Personal Leadership Programme was expertly led by Maurice Whelan and the benefits are long term for those prepared to put the simple principles into action.
Joe Bourke
I had the privilege of attending the Personal Leadership Programme, facilitated by Maurice Whelan. It was truly a life changing experience. Maurice created a safe, open and trusting environment for the participants. Among the topics covered were communication, listening, goal setting, appreciation, positivity and the importance of formulating good questions to draw out the best in colleagues. The concepts were simple, and the exercises very revealing but more powerful than in any other training I have attended and fun as well. My way of thinking has changed. I am far more appreciative of the great people around me and now believe in thinking big! I highly recommend the course and Maurice is an amazing and brilliant facilitator. I wish everyone I know could avail of the training.
Margaret Dromey
The Personal Leadership Programme was expertly delivered by Maurice Whelan of Unleash Potential over three days in January 2014 was just what I needed to “re-invent me and my career. At the age of sixty three (63) many would think (but maybe not say) “ Paddy you are well past it….. why not go gently into the night !” Never…of course if you knew me. Having re-invented myself many times in my professional career in the past, Living Leadership was just the tonic needed and taken willingly in the company of a superb team of equally willing participants . This fully interactive programme, with its build in follow up action plans, motivational techniques and measurable goals, is evidenced based and comes with an internationally proven record of success. A real tried and tested model but not for the faint hearted! These wonderfully challenging three days got me back to the basics of how to cultivate the skills and qualities of that Inspirational Leader I set out to be many years ago and whom others will willingly follow long after I do eventually go gently into the night”
Paddy Creedon
Customer Consultancy Testimonials
Maurice has a wealth of expertise in operations that can help a company in many ways. Recently Maurice helped our team throughout an RFP process. His background in service really enabled us to create a robust RFP document and handle the responses in a fair and objective way. In addition, Maurice helped with the on boarding of our new partner and was instrumental in making the whole process very streamlined and effective. I would highly recommend Maurice to any team who needs some operational insights and support.
Aisling Hassell
We recently introduced the a Performance management system and Unleash Potential provided invaluable assistance in its smooth introduction. Maurice provided a really positive and enthusiastic approach to the process. However, his real value lay in driving and inspiring us to use the system to drive the professionalism of our company. His advice and inputs assured that we were focussed on the future while ensuring that the day to day requirements were effortlessly dealt with in the process. A very positive experience.
Mark Ryder
Maurice is a truly magical individual. His dedication and passion for the best customer experience is to be envied. He is has a rare ability to match this with strong commercial know-how. Maurice has an endless supply of creative thought which has inspired those who work for and around him. I have learnt so much in my time at Sage from Maurice and would recommend him highly to any business committed to world-class customer excellence.
Nicole Anderson
Executive Coaching Testimonials
Maurice is one of those rare charismatic individuals that is able to connect with you instantaneously and influence you at a deeper level. His real-life experience gives him great insight in business related matters and he was able to provide real value in all our conversations. His personalized and methodical approach was tailored to exactly what I was looking for in our sessions. Maurice helped me improve in the areas I needed most and I saw a big improvement in both my personal and professional life.
Vendor Operations Manager
Maurice’s modus operandi is focused, methodical and painstakingly thorough. He spent significant time and effort in getting to know me and the results of his efforts have not only assisted me greatly in my professional life, but I like to think it has also created a great rapport between us. As CEO of a fast growing global company, his guidance has been instrumental in helping me stay effective, despite so many conflicting priorities, understand the importance of getting the best from my talented team and ensuring I rely on my strengths, while understanding areas that I need to develop more expertise in. Simply put Maurice is a highly effective results driven coach.
CEO
Maurice Whelan is a strengths based coach and is perhaps the best coach I have ever had. He provides me with “space” to review and evaluate my work through reflection and discussion. He has excellent active listening skills and uses reflective questioning to explore issues and to get to the heart of problems. He is excellent at striking the balance between challenging me and encouraging me to be the best I can be. I always come away from our sessions feeling empowered and I can honestly say he is invaluable to me in my role as CEO.
CEO
Maurice is an excellent coach who creates an environment for self-improvement which is goal driven and highly effective. While Maurice is more than obliging to help with predefined objectives the real value I gained was from his guidance in setting out a plan to enhance my own personal development. As a coach he builds excellent rapport which makes sharing goals and aspirations much easier, focusing on what matters at an individual level. For me the sessions were defiantly the most engaging and beneficial number of weeks I have attended, I really enjoyed the journey. To anyone who would be looking to take their development to the next level I would strongly recommend the executive leadership coaching.
Reporting and Resource Planning Manager
The coaching sessions is like the cement that holds together the foundations established during the PLP: – because Maurice is an incredibly talented coach, I went deeper around what motivates me to be a better leader for my team, and what I could achieve with them. – together we explored what strategy could help me. Because we had 6 sessions, we could establish goals and evaluate progress along the way. After 6 sessions I achieved the goals I intended to reach. – it has deepen my understanding of how I wanted to lead and manage and how I could be successful with my style. Here is a tangible example around feedback and how the coaching sessions helped me with be a better leader: Recently my team provided me with the feedback that they were feeling stressed and that they felt their effort were not recognised. Before Maurice’s sessions, in such a situation I may have panicked and try to make sure this feedback would not travel further up. The team would have stayed under performing and disengaged. But the coaching sessions gave me the tool to address this. I came clean with my team about the mistakes I made with them, and how I was intending to fix them. At the same we also discussed how they could as group find solutions and take responsibility for the situation. As a results, I already received strong positive feedback that they feel that the situation in positively changing, and I start to see their performance picking up. This is how critical these coaching sessions have been for me. Maurice have a very strong management experience, and he understand why performance and culture are two words that should always be together in a business environment. He is very strategic. He is one of the most talented coach I have ever met. For all those reasons, investing in the PLP and give monthly coaching session to leads with Maurice, is the smartest and safest investment you can make to build a truly high performance culture.
Customer Experience Leader
Motivational Speaking Feedback
I recently had the pleasure and good fortune to be present during Maurice’s presentation at a CCMA event outlining his company ‘Unleash Potential’. To say his presentation was inspiring would be an understatement, Maurice told a story about human potential and possibility that I feel must have had even the most cynical person in the audience think again about the importance of people in any organisation. I could have listened to Maurice for hours and I certainly benefited from his presentation. I wish him every success in his new venture.
Yvonne Flanagan
At a recent company event I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Maurice on the subject of “Unleashing Potential”. This was an inspirational, very personal, highly professional pitch and worthy of gracing any corporate stage as a keynote speaker. I would highly recommend an engagement with Maurice for any company wishing to drive your business forward getting the most out of your biggest assets – your people.
Kevin McAteer
We decided to book Maurice as our guest speaker at a recent team training day, and were absolutely delighted that he did. A few weeks later the feedback is still great from the session, our team more focused and all round motivation is certainly improved, we will be booking him again.
Karl Henry