If You’re Not Doing Situational Leadership, You’re Failing Your Team
The key to mastering situational leadership is sharing with your team member that you’re using it. This transparency helps both parties understand the context of the work and how they’ll each contribute to getting things done. So, What is situational leadership?
Ever had a micromanager or been called a control freak? Or maybe you’ve had an amazing relationship with a manager or employee that you just can’t seem to recreate? On the flip side, is there someone on your team where things just aren’t clicking no matter what you try?
Situational Leadership could be the missing link.
The key to mastering Situational Leadership is sharing with your team member that you’re using it.
This transparency helps both parties understand the context of the work and how they’ll each contribute to getting things done.
So, What is Situational Leadership?
In a nutshell, it’s about using one of four leadership styles depending on an employee’s capability and confidence with a task. Let’s break them down:
Telling Mode
What It Is: You lay out exactly how you want a task done, step-by-step, and closely supervise to make sure it’s done right.
Outcome: The employee knows what to do and gets a lot of input from you, which helps them build knowledge and confidence for similar tasks in the future.
Selling Mode
What It Is: You still specify the task and how to do it, but you also explain why it’s important and provide context. This is more about coaching.
Outcome: The employee understands the task and the bigger picture, which supports their development journey.
Supporting Mode
What It Is: You don’t dictate how the task should be done, but you stay close enough to offer support and guidance as needed. It’s all about shared ideas and decisions.
Outcome: The employee feels trusted and empowered, but they also have the safety net of your support if they need it.
Delegating Mode
What It Is: The employee takes full ownership of the task with minimal to no oversight from you. You empower them to solve problems and make decisions based on their expertise.
Outcome: The employee demonstrates their ability to work autonomously and deliver results.
Recognize These Modes?
Think about your past or current work relationships. Can you see how different leadership styles were at play?
The Trick
The trick with Situational Leadership is realizing that you might use different styles with the same employee depending on their commitment and confidence levels for different tasks.
If you're finding challenges in how your leaders are operating, check out the Leadership L&D Tech providers at Stakkd.
Opinion Summary
In the end, Situational Leadership is all about flexibility and understanding your team’s needs. By adapting your style to fit each situation, you can foster better relationships and improve overall performance. Remember, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, and that’s what makes it so effective.
Using Situational Leadership can transform your team dynamics and lead to more successful outcomes. So why not give it a try :)