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Description

Authority and Legitimacy: Setting Boundaries, Holding the Line and Building Credibility

Two days to establish authority that holds without resorting to power struggles or heavy-handedness

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

A young manager leading team members with far more service. A supervisor promoted from within their former team. A line manager whose instructions are questioned every single time. In these situations the job title is no longer enough and the manager hesitates between letting things slide and raising their voice.

These two days address what genuinely underpins authority at work and what erodes it. The focus is on building a clear framework, restating rules and holding boundaries. The work is based on the situations in which your legitimacy is directly challenged.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish between the authority attached to the role and the legitimacy granted by the team
  • Identify the day-to-day behaviours that undermine your credibility
  • Set out an explicit operating framework with your team
  • Express a refusal or restate a rule without aggressiveness
  • Hold a boundary when a team member challenges it

What makes this programme different

Dedicated work on being promoted from within your former team
Challenging situations replayed until you find the wording that holds
A team operating framework drafted by the end of day two

Programme

1What Authority at Work Really Rests On

What a job title gives you and what it does not

  • Sources of authority and the conditions for legitimacy
  • What teams expect from the person leading them
  • Situations that weaken a recently appointed manager
  • Self-assessment of your own relationship with authority

2Setting a Clear Framework

Rules that are known before they need to be restated

  • Defining what is negotiable and what is not
  • Making operating rules explicit with the team
  • Consistency between what you announce and what you tolerate
  • Drafting an operating framework

3Holding the Line When Challenged

Saying no and restating the rule

  • Expressing a reasoned refusal
  • Restating a rule focused on the facts rather than the person
  • Handling challenges raised in front of the group
  • Stepping out of power struggles and escalation

4Building Credibility Over Time

Legitimacy is judged on decisions

  • Treating comparable situations consistently and fairly
  • Acknowledging your mistakes without losing the framework
  • Managing long-standing relationships that have become hierarchical
  • Action plan for your three most exposed situations

Who is it for

Managers recently appointed to lead a team and supervisors whose legitimacy is regularly questioned.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.