A government ministry
A consistent leadership foundation, without making leadership development generic
How a government ministry created a common leadership foundation for successive cohorts of Assistant Directors while keeping the programme relevant to the ministry's real leadership context.
- Programme
- Foundational Leadership Programme
- Sector
- Public sector, Singapore
- Engagement
- 11 cohort runs confirmed through Feb 2027
Programme at a glance
- 11Cohort runs confirmed through Feb 2027
- 6Cohorts at the latest validated checkpoint
- 173Assistant Directors covered so far
- 5 daysImmersive programme per cohort, plus coaching
- 4.29 to 4.57 / 5Overall programme rating
- 4.85 / 5Trainer effectiveness, as high as
The organisational need
The ministry needed a consistent foundation for Assistant Directors entering a wider leadership pipeline, and it had to feel relevant to the ministry's work. Leadership ideas could not sit apart from the decisions, relationships and conversations participants handle every day.
Strengths School was appointed through a competitive tender to support the Foundational Leadership Programme. What began as a design and delivery engagement has developed into an eleven-run roadmap through February 2027.
How the programme was designed
Each cohort starts with CliftonStrengths profiling and Personal Insights, then works through a five-day journey connecting strengths-based leadership with results, relationships, executive presence, difficult conversations and coaching.
It is not a fixed external course. The ministry's own leaders and guest speakers bring organisational context, while Strengths School's coaches connect these to practical frameworks and application planning. A group-coaching session follows each run.
- Strengths-based leadership
- Results and relationships
- Executive presence
- Difficult conversations
- Strengths-based coaching
The cohort journey
Profiling
CliftonStrengths and personal insights
Five-day programme
Leadership, presence, conversations
Application
Test the tools at work
Group coaching
Real situations, peer learning
Next cohort
Same foundation, refined
Feedback is reviewed after each run. Participants valued candid leadership stories and real examples, and were less engaged when internal presentations felt like information downloads. The response: link internal content to leadership decisions, add personal experience, allow more time for dialogue. The loop is part of the programme, not an end-of-course exercise.
The evidence
Latest validated checkpoint, 6 cohorts, 173 Assistant Directors
- 4.29 to 4.57 / 5Overall programme rating
- 4.85 / 5Trainer effectiveness, as high as
- 4.2+ / 5Participant confidence in executive presence, adapting leadership style and strengths-based coaching
- 4.65 / 5Day 5 rating, the programme's applied-leadership close
Strong relevance, confidence and readiness to apply the tools.
Source: latest validated checkpoint across six cohorts and 173 Assistant Directors. These are immediate programme measures, not proof of long-term organisational performance.
The pace is good. Nothing particular to change.
Why this matters
Continuity and relevance can coexist. It is a useful model when leadership development has to work across several cohorts without becoming generic: a consistent core, organisation-specific content, participant evidence and follow-through after the classroom, with each run refined by the last.
This could be relevant if you are
- Developing emerging or first-time leaders
- Building a common foundation across several leadership cohorts
- Wanting consistency without using a generic leadership course
- Creating a shared language for coaching and difficult conversations
Developing leaders across multiple cohorts?
We can help you think through how to create a consistent leadership foundation while keeping the programme relevant to your organisation.
Participant comments are anonymised and lightly edited for grammar and clarity. Client names are withheld at the clients' request.