Having a good leader in the workplace (and just about anywhere else) is important for you or any company/group to succeed. Good leaders know how to motivate and inspire, mentor and delegate.

You’ll need good leadership skills to assume senior positions. The good thing? It’s a skill that can be learnt with time and effort! Here are a few leadership courses to help you get started. You can also take a look at the leadership programmes available under the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Iniative (LDI).

Course List

*All course fees are for 2019/20 intakes and subject to changes depending on the school/institution. All fees are in SGD unless otherwise stated. This is merely a list and not an endorsement of the courses listed, do conduct sufficient research to make sure a course fits your needs!

Online

• INSEAD – Leadership Communication with Impact

INSEAD is a graduate business school with campuses in Europe (Fontainebleau), Asia (Singapore), and the Middle East (Abu Dhabi). While known more for their MBA, the school also offers a variety of open online programmes catering to individuals, teams and organisations. Their Leadership Communication with Impact programme is designed for executives in leadership positions across all levels to develop their communication capacity. Course takers will ultimately understand their own leadership communication styles and discover how their behaviour affects others. They will also learn how to use emotional intelligence through interpersonal communication and how to encourage strategic thinking.

The course has an Action Learning Project (ALP), where participants apply what they’ve learnt to their own leadership and communication activities to create a personal Communication Skills Agenda. An official Certificate of Completion will be awarded to course takers who receive satisfactory grades on their final assignments.

Duration: 5 weeks

Fees: €1,500 (approx. SGD 2290)

Accreditation: For the curious, INSEAD in Singapore is registered with the Committee for Private Education (CPE); INSEAD has been accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA.

Curriculum: Effective Leadership Communication, Communication Approaches and Preference Styles, Leadership Communication and the Message Mindset, Leadership Presence

• University of Oxford (Saïd Business School) – Oxford Executive Leadership Programme

Recommended for managers at all levels, the Oxford Executive Leadership Programme aims to impart to participants effective leadership strategies through the introduction of practical tools and frameworks. The course has both practical and theory components—it integrates interactive media such as videos and e-learning activities, as well as traditional didactic components such as written study guides. Part of the course involves collaborative learning (forum discussions) and real-life case studies. Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will receive a certificate of attendance from Oxford Saïd.

Duration: 8 weeks, 7-10 hours weekly

Fees: £2,200 (approx. SGD 3691)

Accreditation: NA

Curriculum: There will be 8 modules (1 per week). They cover Effective Leadership, The Job of the Leader, Leading with Power and Influence, Leading Teams for Effective Performance, Strategies and Models for Leading Change, Mastering Complexity and Plurality, and Reflecting on Your Purpose as a Leader.

Short Courses

• National University of Singapore Executive Education – Leadership Development Programme

Catering to high-impact leaders and senior managers, the Leadership Development Programme by NUS can be taken as part of the Certificate of Excellence in Global Business. Conducted via robust leadership frameworks and exercises, participants will work with a professional facilitator to first interpret the results of a 360-degree leadership assessment and a behaviour profiling questionnaire. They will then work on an action plan to become a more effective leader. Participants can choose to embark on a one-on-one, post-programme learning journey with an executive coach after the programme, too.

One draw of this programme is the diversity of participants, who come from all over the world!

Duration: 5 days

Fees: $8,290 (excluding GST). If you are an NUS alumni or a past participant of an NUS Executive Education programme, you are entitled to 10% alumni savings. Signing up as an early bird and paying via Visa/Mastercard will also entitle you to further discounts.

Accreditation: NA

Curriculum: The course will cover what makes a Leader, behaving as a Leader, leading change and managing the self, influencing others, as well as negotiation and influence.

• IMD Business School – High Performance Leadership

IMD Business School is an independent business school with Swiss roots. The Financial Times consistently ranks it within the top 3 schools for executive education and the top for Open executive programs (2012-2019 rankings). Their High Performance Leadership Programme is for experienced executives with at least 10 years of management experience and is designed by former hostage negotiator Professor George Kohlrieser. The course is taught via lectures, classroom discussions, and small groups; some things you can anticipate include action learning, deliberate practice, deep learning and role play.

Duration: 6 days (plus pre-program work)

Fees: $17,500

Accreditation: IMD has been accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA.

Curriculum: Some things covered include the mindset of high-performance leaders, leading across cultures, coaching for high-performance leadership, and high-performance negotiation and conflict management.

• Singapore Management University –  Executive Certificate in Leadership and People Management

Targeting Head of Departments, Senior Business Executives, and Business Leaders with exceptional leadership potential (that have direct reports), SMU’s Executive Certificate in Leadership and People Management is jointly developed and designed by SMU and Mercer. It incorporates SMU’s seminar-style teaching method and experiential learning methods to enhance participants’ leadership and people management abilities. Every module concludes with an assessment that students must pass to attain a Certificate of Completion. The course has a heavy focus on group work and will randomly assign participants to groups each time, which is great for networking.

Duration: 3 days per module with 6 modules in total, to be completed within a maximum duration of 3 years

Fees: S$2,728.50 per module, reduced rates ranging between S$181.05- $818.55 for those that are under relevant schemes or have SSG funding. All modules cost $16,371.00 in total. The course is SkillsFuture Credit claimable.

Accreditation: NA

Curriculum: The 6 modules cover Leadership for Strategic Impact, Talent Management for Business Leaders, Becoming a Whole Leader, Facilitating Innovation and Leading Change, the Role of Effective Managers, as well as Driving Performance Excellence.

• British Council – Advanced Team Leader workshop

For the managers and team leaders, British Council’s Advanced Team Leader workshop is just one of many leadership workshops they have available! It will provide all participants with a personalised Team Management Profile (TMS®) report, help them better understand why people behave the way they do at work, help them increase the level of their team’s engagement, and learn about their leadership strengths along with the areas for development.

Duration: 1 day

Fees: $741.51 (with GST)

Accreditation: The British Council (Singapore) Limited is a TrustSg, BusinessTrust and ConsumerTrust accredited organisation. It is also registered with CPE.

Curriculum: As per the course outline, participants will learn about the 8 work functions, the 4 types of work preferences, as well as how to analyse and lead their teams.

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) – Leadership Fundamentals

A global provider of leadership development, the Center for Creative Leadership has been imparting leadership knowledge for over four decades. Today, CCL has 12 offices worldwide. Their Leadership Fundamentals course is for individuals without direct reports, as well as emerging leaders and valued professionals. Delivered in 3 phases, the course is taught through classroom learning, small-group activities and personalized learning. The course also includes follow-up eLearning and a customized, online development toolkit.

Duration: 2 days

Fees: $2,480

Accreditation: NA

Curriculum: Please enquire directly with CCL.

• Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) – Becoming an Extraordinary Leader

This workshop focuses on imparting to participants a specific set of practices (termed as ExtraOrdinary Disciplines or EOD for short), that will help them achieve higher performance in the workplace.  It will involve EOD mapping, group discussions, and executive coaching.  The workshop will be conducted by Mr. Peter Ng, an Associate Training Consultant of SNEF.

Duration: 2 days, 14 hours total

Fees: $588.50 for non-members, $481.50 for members

Accreditation: SNEF is registered as a trade union under the Trade Unions Act. It is the national trade union of employers in Singapore.

Curriculum: Maintaining grit, how to maintain positive energy, developing a growth mindset, the power of focus and clarity

Diplomas

• Training Vision Institute – WSQ Professional Diploma in Leadership & People Management

The Training Vision Institute was established in 1991, and is a SkillsFuture Singapore accredited Approved Training Organisation for Employability Skills Workforce Skills Qualifications and Executive Development & Growth for Excellence. Their WSQ Professional Diploma in Leadership & People Management is delivered via lectures, project work, group discussions, individual activities, and experiential learning. The course is open to adult learners 30 years and above, with at least 8 years of working experience.

Duration: 5 months (part-time)

Fees: $6,494.40 after GST. Course fees range between $728.10-$4,229.40 for those under relevant schemes.

Accreditation: Training Vision Institute is EduTrust certified.

Curriculum: There are 8 units. They are Lead Team, Manage Change, Manage Achievement of Results, Develop Professional Image and Competence to Achieve Personal Career Goals, Manage Self, Develop Personal Effectiveness at Managerial Level, Enable People and Cultivate Workplace Relationship respectively.

In the modern workplace, leadership is definitely a skill that cannot be neglected. We hope this list has given you a better idea of what’s available and wish you all the best in your pursuits!