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Description

Establishing Your Authority: Setting Boundaries, Defusing Tension and Deciding

Assert your authority as a leader without confrontation and address tense situations before they escalate

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

A senior executive or director notices that decisions are reopened after the fact, that certain behaviours become entrenched and that tensions surface far too late. The authority attached to the position is no longer enough, and direct confrontation leaves lasting damage to working relationships.

Two days to build an authority grounded in clear boundaries and consistency, to learn to intervene early and to conduct difficult conversations. The situations addressed are brought by the participants themselves and rehearsed until each person finds wording they can genuinely deliver in their own context.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the sources of your authority and your points of fragility
  • Set explicit boundaries and uphold them over time
  • Intervene at the first signs of problematic behaviour
  • Conduct a corrective conversation without damaging the relationship
  • Manage aggression and challenge in meetings
  • Announce and stand behind an unpopular decision

What makes this programme different

The situations rehearsed are those brought by the participants
Every difficult conversation is reworked until the wording is one its author can sustain
Each participant formalises a graduated intervention protocol

Programme

1Grounding Your Authority

Moving from position to legitimacy

  • Distinguish between authority, power and influence
  • Identify what weakens an executive position
  • Clarify your boundaries and your expectations
  • Accept the tension between closeness and distance

2Setting and Upholding Boundaries

Prevention rather than sanction

  • Formulate explicit and verifiable rules
  • Detect the first signs of drift
  • Intervene early and proportionately
  • Address the gap without attacking the person

3Conducting the Difficult Conversation

Saying what must be said

  • Prepare the facts and their consequences
  • Open the conversation directly and without aggression
  • Listen without abandoning your request
  • Formalise a commitment and its follow-up

4Facing Tension

Holding your position as pressure rises

  • Respond to aggression without escalating
  • Handle a public challenge in a meeting
  • Announce an unpopular decision
  • Regulate your own reactions under pressure

Who is it for

Senior executives, directors and experienced managers facing tense interpersonal situations.

Prerequisites

Hold a management or executive leadership responsibility.

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.