The Leadership Dilemma: Balancing Connection & Authority
Listening deeply, leading decisively.
Do you want to…
Balance being approachable with holding firm, fair boundaries?
Create genuine connections with your team, while holding them accountable?
Learn the communication skills to lead with empathy and respect?
Foster open dialogue and productive disagreement within your team?
Earn admiration through strength and genuine connection?
If any of this resonates with you, this course is meant for you!
THIS COURSE IS NEITHER ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING NOR CLAIMABLE UNDER SFC
Course Description
Leadership today requires more than setting direction and achieving results, it requires managing people – the ability to build trust, maintain accountability, and balance connection with authority. The Leadership Dilemma: Balancing Connection & Authority will help current and aspiring leaders navigate that difficult balance confidently and authentically, strengthening both relational and performance-based leadership.
Many leaders face a persistent tension: being too approachable risks blurred boundaries and diminished respect, while being too firm leads to disengagement and turnover. This course addresses this dilemma head-on, helping you navigate it confidently and authentically to strengthen both relationships and performance.
Through guided reflection, discussions, and role-play scenarios, participants will learn to cultivate a leadership presence that inspires trust and commitment, driving engagement and performance without compromising authority or respect.
Course Outline
Building Trust and Open Communication
Build personal awareness of your leadership tendencies and develop strategies to lead with warmth and empathy.
Managing Performance and Results with Empathy
Practice communication frameworks that reinforce accountability and performance with remaining compassionate.
Achieving a Balance Between Connection and Authority
Understand the psychological and relational dynamics between connection and authority in leadership, and how to balance between the two
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Understand their natural tendencies towards firmness or warmth
Recognise how over- or under-empathising can impact trust, respect, and team motivation.
Develop strategies to set clear boundaries while maintaining approachability and psychological safety.
Learn to handle sensitive or high-stakes situations with clarity, confidence, and emotional control.
- Practice empathetic yet professional communication frameworks that strengthen accountability and build connection
Course Fees
The course is $450 per person.
For customised runs or corporate training arrangements, contact us at 9061 5844.
Duration
8 hours of classroom learning and hands-on practices
Instalment payments are available via Atome. Please contact our administrator during sign-up.
“This course is approved under the UTAP for NTUC members. NTUC members may enjoy up to 50% unfunded course fee support for up to $250 each year when you sign up for courses supported under UTAP.”
For more information on claims criteria and processes, you may visit NTUC website here.
Course approved period: 1st March 2025 – 31st March 2027
Other Course Information
Target Audience
This course is designed for supervisors, team leads, and professionals preparing to take on leadership roles in people-centred workplaces. It enhances employability and leadership readiness by strengthening critical competencies such as boundary-setting, emotional intelligence, communication, and accountability. Participants learn to lead with confidence and authenticity, balancing empathy and connection with the authority needed to make difficult decisions. These are essential skillsets for today’s inclusive and trust-based leadership environments.
Certification
All participants will receive:
✓ Certificate of Completion
✓ Access to curated post-course e-learning resources and follow-up materials
What to Expect
In a safe, learning oriented environment, participants learn to develop their personal leadership strategies that improve motivation and performance.
The course integrates short concept inputs, workplace case studies, and experiential role-plays that translate knowledge into action.
Expect lots of:
✓ Practice, not theory
✓ Guided reflections
✓ Real-world examples
✓ Take-home resources
