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LEADERSHIPSTYLESituational LeadershipAdapt your style to their development level.by Ken BlanchardIWISH I COULD TELL YOUthere’s a single solutionto managing people—orone best leadership style. Regrettably,that’s not the case. There is,however, a practical, easy-to-understandapproach—Situational Leadership.Effective leaders adapt their styleaccording to the development level ofthe people they are managing.In Situational Leadership, there arefour leadership styles representingdifferent combinations of directiveand supportive behaviors.• Directive behavior is defined as theextent to which you engage in one-waycommunication; spell out the person’srole; tell the person what to do, whereto do it, when to do it, and how to doit; and then oversee performance.Three words define directive behavior:structure, control, and supervise.• Supportive behavior is the extent towhich you engage in two-way communication,listen, provide support andencouragement, facilitate interaction,and involve people in decision-making.Three words define supportive behavior:praise, listen and facilitate.Four StylesThe degree of direction or supportyou provide depends on the developmentlevel of the person for the task.There are four development levels:Style 1. Directing. High-directive/low-supportive leader behavior isDirecting. You define the roles of peopleand tell them what, how, when,and where to do various tasks. Youinitiate problem-solving and decisionmaking.You announce solutions anddecisions and supervise implementation.You set goals, develop actionplans, provide direction, set time-lines,and closely supervise people whenthey are inexperienced or incompetentwith a task, even if committed.Poor results tell you to focus ondeveloping your team members’ competence,confidence, and motivation.To improve your use of this style,you may want to be more specificabout what each team member’s job isand what a “good job” looks like.2. Coaching. High-directive/highsupportivebehavior is Coaching. In thisstyle, you still provide direction, butyou also hear the person’s feelings,ideas and suggestions. You increasetwo-way communications but maintaincontrol over decision-making.Coaching is for low-to-moderatedevelopment level. People who havesome competence but lack commitmentto take responsibility need bothdirection and support. Thus, a coachingstyle—one that provides directivebehavior (because of their lack of competence)but also supportive behaviorto build confidence and enthusiasm—is most effective. Coaches both directand support their people. This stylebuilds confidence and motivation inpeople, while keeping responsibilityfor decision-making with the leader.To improve your use of this style,you may want to ask for input ongoals and plans with competent teammembers and praise progress.3. Supporting. High-supportive/low-directive behavior is Supporting. Inthis style, your role is to provide recognitionand to actively listen and facilitateproblem-solving and decisionmaking.As competence rises, mostpeople question whether they can performthe task on their own. Here aSupporting style is appropriate. Peopleneed to be heard and encouraged.Supporting is for moderate-to-highdevelopment level. These people arecompetent but have variable commitmenttoward the task. You need topractice two-way communication andactive listening and to support people’sefforts to use their skills. You listen,facilitate, and shift some controlfor day-to-day decision-making andproblem-solving to team members.You provide support and encouragementwhen they lack confidence ormotivation on a given task.To improve your use of this style,you may ask more questions, praiseperformance, or encourage your teammembers to solve their own problems.4. Delegating. Low-supportive/lowdirectivebehavior is Delegating. Youallow people greater autonomy, sincethey have the competence, commitmentand confidence to do the task.People at this level are competent andmotivated to take responsibility. Thus,a low-profile delegating style—onethat provides little direction and support—islikely to be effective. Eventhough you may still identify the problem,you delegate the responsibility forcarrying out plans to experienced followers.They are permitted to “run theshow” and decide on how, when, andwhere tasks are to be accomplished.Empower competent and confidentteam members to manage their ownperformance. Collaboratively set goalsand then delegate day-to-day decisionmakingto experienced team members.To improve your use of this style,you may ask your team members totell you what resources they need toexcel and then secure those resources.When to Use Each StyleThe right style is primarily a functionof the degree of difficulty of thetask and the developmental level ofthe person doing the task.Developmental level is the degreeof competence and commitment a personhas to perform a task without supervision.Competence is a function of knowledgeand skills which can be gainedfrom education, training, or experience.Commitment is a combination ofconfidence (self-assuredness) andmotivation (interest and enthusiasm).The factor that triggers a change instyle is performance. Improvements inperformance shift the leadership style.Effective managers adapt their style tomatch development levels and meetchanging demands. Over time individualsand teams develop their own patternsof behavior and ways of operating;these constitute the norms, customs,traditions, and mores of the culture.You may use one leadership stylefor the team, but a different style whendealing one-on-one, since individualsare at different levels of development.Shifting forward and backward instyle makes Situational Leadership adynamic developmental model. LEKen Blanchard is the author of the One-Minute Manager seriesand CEO of the Ken Blanchard Companies. Call 800-728-6000or visit www.bigspeak.com.ACTION: Practice situational leadership.Leadership Excellence May 2008 19