are you a situational leader?

Do you... 

​“adapt your leadership style based on the situation”.

​If you consider that traditionally leaders/managers were ‘one style fits all’ and the employees had to flex to meet their leaders style rather than the other way round this is quite a change. 

For some leaders situational leadership will be a ‘new world’ approach.  I imagine traditional managers could find a transition to this ‘new world’ a challenge.  
 
Situational leadership was developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in their 1969 book Management of Organisational Behaviour, initially, it was called the “life cycle theory of leadership” then during the mid-1970s it was renamed to “Situational Leadership Theory”. It was then adapted further when Hersey and Blanchard went on to create their own models;
 
Hersey created the “Situational Leadership Theory”
Blanchard et al created the “Situational Leadership II Model’.
The fundamentals of the models were that

1. There was no single “best” style of leadership
2. Effective leadership is “task-relevant”
3. Most successful leaders are those who adapt their style to the “performance readiness (ability and willingness) of the individual/group and the task that needs to be accomplished”

 
After reading the above you may be thinking... if it was introduced in 1969 initially why isn’t this necessarily a common practice amongst leaders?
 
Good Question!!! 
 
My thoughts are that for leaders to adopt this style they need to be confident in their abilities and have the necessary skills to adapt. It takes a leap of faith to be able to adapt your style, going from what you have experienced yourself and how you can transition and apply your learnings, knowledge and leadership to any situation.

​What are the pros and cons? 

​Pros
Fluidity - being able to lead a team through any situation shows strong leadership, ensuring the team remains focused. The thought process is that if you are a strong leader as long as you have the right 'team' you can be successful in any area	​​ It’s not a natural style for some managers, this can then lead their teams to uncertainty in approach and potential reduction of engagement ​
Strength in style and team dynamics	If the person isn't confident it can demonstrate gaps in ability/style and approach
By continually being able to demonstrate the fluidity of your style that will only strengthen the style you have and also how the team functions. In order for a team to be successful you need to have a strong leadership style	​Transitioning from a traditional leadership style to this can take time and needs to be implemented correctly for the continuation of trust and confidence from the team
Continual building of skills, confidence and experience ​	​​If there isn't a strong team dynamic it can be difficult to have this approach
True leadership

What skills are required?
 
According to Martin Luenendonk situational leaders require the:

• Ability to diagnose both the task at hand as well as who in the team is most suitable to work on the task.  This includes both their developmental opportunity as well as their readiness to complete the task successfully.  
• Adaptation of your skill set in leadership.  Adaptation can be improved by your experience and knowledge but also your energy.  This means its important to ask questions and listen to hear, not listen to respond!   
  • Remember that your team are always watching you and they will, usually without being consciously aware, mirror your behaviour, language and tone.  
• Communication If you are adapting your leadership style in orfder to retain the engagement of your team you must have advanced communication skills that are tailored to the needs of the team.  You will need to use your skill in order for your team to join you on the journey whilst you are showing empathy, authority and clarity but driving engagement and motivation
• Ability to advance  Successful leaders, no matter their style have the ability to advance work to ensure completion however this is essential when working within situational leadership as you will need to consider at each stage which leadership style is the best to ensure the project/work is advanced!

 
​How do you decide which leadership style is the best for the situation?
 
Your decision will likely be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to:

• Your knowledge
• Your experience 
• Whether the task is straightforward or complex
• Stakeholders involved
• Risk v Return
• Relationship with the team
• Readiness of the team and their developmental opportunities  

Did you know that Be You Consultancy and Coaching offers a program to individuals including leaders on situational coaching.  The purpose of this is to develop a mindset around situations, and to prepare the client to get the most out of each situation!   If this sounds like something that could be of benefit to you then please contact us. 

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