Real Leadership with Dr Dean Williams
A two-day seminar for senior leaders navigating complexity, resistance, and real change.
Equip your leaders to lead change in a fractured, complex world.
23 – 24 July 2026 | 28 – 29 Sept 2026
ILC Training Hub, Singapore
Leaders of any organisation, whether CEOs, directors, or ministers, can benefit from studying the principles Dean Williams has distilled.”
-Lee Kuan Yew
Programme Overview
Real Leadership is a two-day seminar based on Dr Dean Williams’ course taught at Harvard University for 20 years and his book, Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges.
The programme gives leaders a framework to diagnose the real nature of the problems they face, mobilise people through resistance, and lead change that sticks. It draws on case studies from governments, corporations, and social sector organisations across five continents.
Dr Williams has been based in Singapore since 2006 and has delivered this programme to senior leaders across government ministries, public agencies, and social service organisations here and regionally.
What you’ll learn
- How to distinguish technical problems from adaptive challenges, and why the difference determines your approach
- How to diagnose the real work your organisation needs to do
- How to mobilise people across boundaries, silos, and resistance
- How to stay grounded and purposeful under pressure
- How to manage sabotage, subversion, and pushback without losing momentum
- How to lead through imagination and strategic courage
Who Should attend
This program are for:
- Executive Directors and CEOs leading organisational change
- Board members and chairs navigating governance challenges
- Senior Managers and Directors responsible for transformation
- High-potential leaders being prepared for expanded leadership roles
- Policy officers and programme leads in public and social service agencies
Sectors represented in past cohorts include government ministries, public service agencies, social service organisations, healthcare, and education.
DAY BY DAY OUTLINE
Day 1: Leading in a Fractured World
Defining Real Leadership and the Role of the Change Agent
What real leadership means, how it differs from authority and management, and why the world needs a different model of leadership now.
Adaptive Challenges and Adaptive Work
How to distinguish technical problems from adaptive challenges, and why the distinction determines your approach and your chances of success.
Leadership, Authority, and Power
How to use positional authority effectively without being trapped by it, and how to lead from any level of an organisation.
The 5-A Process for Intervention and Engagement
A structured framework for intervening in human systems, mobilising stakeholders, and making progress on problems people are reluctant to face.
Day 2: Leading the Work
The Boundary Work of Leadership
How to lead across silos, factions, and competing interests, and how to build coalitions for change without losing your footing.
Leadership Conversations
How to have the conversations that matter, including the ones most leaders avoid, and how to use dialogue as a tool for progress.
Think Like an Artist
How to use imagination, reframing, and creative problem-solving to open up possibilities that analytical thinking alone cannot reach.
Managing the Self as an Instrument of Power, Wisdom, and Leadership
How to stay grounded, regulated, and purposeful under sustained pressure. How to avoid the traps that derail even experienced leaders.
About the Facilitator
Dr. Dean Williams is the author of two popular books, Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges and Leadership for a Fractured World: How to Cross Boundaries, Build Bridges, and Lead Change.
Dean was a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School for 20 years, teaching courses on leadership and change, and was the recipient of numerous awards for outstanding teaching. He also directed the Global Change Agent program, and was a founding member of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership.
Today he is President of The Leader’s Compass Pte. Ltd, an international consulting firm that is based in Singapore. Since 2006, he has run the popular leadership program, Social Leadership Singapore. He has served as an advisor to numerous companies and governments and has worked throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, and the United States.
What’s it like to learn from Dean?
Expect powerful insights drawn from real-time global events — delivered with bold honesty and razor-sharp clarity.
Client Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it – here’s what our clients say:
“Game-changing insights. This should be mandatory for any leader in the public sector.”
Former Partipant
Ministry of Health
“Dean teaches you how to lead with clarity, even when the path is uncertain.”
Executive Director
Social Service Agency
“I came in expecting theory, but walked away with the most practical leadership tools I’ve used in my career.”
Deputy Director
National Council of Social Service (NCSS)
“This isn’t just a leadership course — it’s a wake-up call. I learned how to lead real change, not just manage problems.”
Head of Program
Voluntary Welfare Organisation
Course Fees
Full Course Fees
before GST
Course Fees after CCF
before GST
Course Fees after CCTG