How can you apply situational leadership during a crisis?

In my opinion situational leadership is providing direction when there is a crisis or a defined goal has to be achieved. During the first lockdown announcement in 2020 it required a leader to communicate clearly on the journey from then on . The situation demanded clarity of action and leading teams through uncertainty.

I am advocate of situational leadership because it calls leaders to adapt their styles to their team members' maturity level. This requires a level of awareness that comes from experience, from best practices and putting oneself in the other person's shoes ... As situational leaders, we assess the maturity of our team member's readiness level based on their knowledge of the role as well as their competence to perform a given task. Hence it requires leaders to know their people and manage each person in the team differently so that individually each person is performing to his/her best ability or best strengths whilst collectively the team wins..

What I have seen is that no one size fits all and the first key to being an effective leader starts with knowing yourself really well and believing that you as the leader has to adapt your style and approach and not vice versa. The Situational Leadership framework is a fantastic guide on how to adapt in different circumstances. The second key to leadership is building a relationship of trust with your team - so when you do have to adapt styles your team trust you are doing it for their benefit.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as a White House Medical Officer, situational leadership was pivotal. Pre-crisis, coaching, and supporting organic medical staff built trust. This groundwork was crucial when integrating new functions and personnel, such as Department of Defense support personnel and working with our CDC counterparts. We directed tasks to newcomers less familiar with our mission while delegating to familiar team members and leveraging their expertise. In this dynamic, situational leadership shifted rapidly, balancing task orientation and relationship-building. Effective leadership adapted to changing scenarios, emphasizing direction for some and autonomy for others, ensuring mission success amidst evolving challenges.

In my view, situational leadership is more about skills than styles. Directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating are part of a dynamic skillset crucial in evolving scenarios. Critical to this approach are also foundational leadership competencies like effective communication, where empathetic clarity is key; decision-making that harmonizes data with intuition; self-awareness that underpins authentic leadership; perspective-taking to appreciate varied viewpoints; and contextual awareness for strategic adaptability. This approach demands agility to comprehend situations and respond with a versatile skillset, essential for each unique challenge.

Situational leaders remain flexible and guide their organizations based on their understanding of the context. In the case of crises they understand the process and are able to implement it faster than other types of leaders.

Crisis management is defined by your situational and change management leadership skills. It is about listening, understanding, flexibility, emotions, decisions and the stress of many unknowns. Situational leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about leading with unknowns, listening and really honing your IQ. Without it - and to just lead as you would yesterday, then your tomorrow will be tethered by resistance. The Open Ai leadership change over Thanksgiving is a perfect example. No communications, no change management plan, no situational leadership, no transparency that led to an employee coup - and resistance - they could not move forward, and they had to go back and try again that cost time, money, and credibility.

Today I arrived at school to learn the gas had "failed" and we had no heating. Yes, to the multiple challenges, and yet the most important capability I leveraged this morning was to listen and to trust those staff around me.

Situational leadership is crucial during a crisis as it allows leaders to adapt their approach based on the specific needs and challenges presented. By assessing the situation, leaders can provide the right guidance, allocate resources effectively, prioritize tasks, foster collaboration, inspire confidence, and make informed decisions. This flexibility empowers organizations to navigate through uncertainty and achieve successful outcomes.

A crisis is a period of uncertainty and unpredictability. In such as situation, where the events are unfolding dynamically and quickly, one fixed plan of action or approach will not help. In addition, the leader is not in a position to observe and understand all that is happening in a timely and complete manner Situational leadership is particularly important in a crisis because it provides a flexible and adaptive approach to managing teams based on the specific circumstances at hand. In a crisis, it helps leaders to be versatile and agile in their leadership style.

There are simple questions to answer to to identify readiness. Have you done this before? Have you done something similar to this? Have you done this before here? That will give you the insight needed to identify if you need to lean more on direction or support. Transferable skills matter but doing here before is vital to ensuring execution.

“Dan, Leadership is a contact sport.” [SGT Maj. ‘Tony’] As I looked into his eyes, I knew truer words had never been spoken. Whether it’s your Troops preparing for enemy contact, your customers buying your products, or your own internal Team yearning to consistently be challenged in a growth-oriented manner, your finger has to be on the pulse of your people as a Leader. Effectively engaging your people is essential. Learning as much as you can about them, what makes them ‘tick’, what are their true motivations & needs, and finding out how to extract the very best of them, while simultaneously rewarding them is paramount to mission success. If you truly are working with high performers, they need to be tested appropriately. Do it well.

As a career consultant specializing in situational leadership, assessing follower needs and readiness is fundamental. Utilize diverse methods like observation, feedback, surveys, and interviews. Recognize individual expectations—whether it's direction, feedback, recognition, or autonomy. Gauge readiness by evaluating skills, knowledge, confidence, and motivation. Consider task nature, urgency, organizational culture, and follower personalities. This comprehensive approach enables leaders, like myself, to tailor strategies effectively, fostering a dynamic and responsive leadership style.

In my experience, the best way to understand the needs and readiness of your team is to talk to them - on a regular cadence and with intent. I'm specifically encouraging a regular cadence of one-on-one meetings where the team member directs the topic of conversation. The leader should be ready to listen and understand the employee's background, stories, work experience, family life, and aspirations provide insight into their needs. Too often I see leaders considering a check-in on the progress of a task or project as a one-on-one and I don't believe this is enough intentionality to understand the nuance of each member of the team.

Utilizando os princípios da lideran?a situacional, meu primeiro passo seria classificar os liderados segundo seus estágios de desenvolvivimento, e ent?o seria fácil identificar as necessidades de cada um. Observe: Estágio D1: colaborador com pouca competência, elevada confian?a e elevada motiva??o. Estágio D2: Colaborador com competência crescente, inseguro e motivado Estágio D3: Colaborador competente, confiante e de motiva??o variável. Estágio D4: Colaborador competente, confiante e motivado.

Two questions. Have they done this before? Are they smiling? If they have done this before you know you are in R3 or R4. Then if they are smiling it means they are in R4 and you give low support and low direction. Low does not mean NO. If they are not smiling that means they have variable levels of commitment and you need to be supportive. If they have never done it before they are R1 or R2. If they are smiling R1 and if no smile R2. If they are smiling give heavy direction with frequent check ins. They are passionate and do not know what they do not know. Check ins eliminate them going to far off the rails. If the are not smiling they know what they do not know. Deliver direction and support. This will allow them to move forward.

The best leadership does not compare.. Having been through a couple of crisis situations at work I realize, that not asking Team A to become like Team B, or Team C to implement the same methods like Team D matters a lot.. We need to treat every situation unique, and customize solutions pertaining that.. In such scenarios, initially it may feel like moving the needle of change a bit slow.. but this is what leads to permanent changes in the long term, that which is more organic by nature

Like other aspects of leadership, adaptive capacity with respect to one's own style and approach to challenges is essential. Tethered to this is the necessity for an asset-oriented approach. A good leader is able to engage all of their team - regardless of level of readiness and engagement - and can draw from them the strengths they may have that can contribute in a crisis situation. This is primarily done through motivation and positive reinforcement

La elección del estilo de liderazgo depende del contexto y las circunstancias. En situaciones de crisis, un enfoque directivo puede ser necesario para tomar decisiones rápidas. En entornos creativos, el liderazgo participativo fomenta la colaboración. Cuando los seguidores son competentes y motivados, el liderazgo delegativo puede ser efectivo. Observa las habilidades y necesidades del equipo, evalúa la complejidad de la tarea y considera el nivel de motivación. Adapta tu estilo según la situación para maximizar la eficacia del liderazgo. La flexibilidad y la comprensión del contexto son clave para tomar decisiones informadas sobre el estilo de liderazgo más adecuado.

Para cada um dos 4 estágios de lideran?a já mencionados (D1 a D4), os autores Hersey e Blanchard já indicam um estilo de lideran?a apropriado: Estilo 1: Dirigir - estruturar , controlar e supervisionar Estilo 2: Treinar - dirigir e apoiar Estilo 3: Apoiar - Elogiar, ouvir, facilitar Estilo 4 : Delegar - Transferir responsabilidades pela tomada de decis?es

In crisis, situational leadership demands adaptability. Assess team capabilities and crisis scope. Communicate objectives clearly and ensure regular updates to maintain transparency. Listen actively to your team's feedback, using it to inform decisions. Delegate tasks aligning with individual strengths, fostering autonomy. Encourage innovation in problem-solving, providing a safety net for potential failures. As the situation shifts, be ready to switch between directing, supporting, coaching, and delegating. Recognize efforts to motivate and build resilience. This dynamic approach is key in navigating crises, as it allows leaders to provide the right support at the right time, ensuring team coherence and effectiveness amidst uncertainty.

To be an effective leader in a crisis situation, first recognise that you don't have to be an expert in everything, just a good leader that listens to the experts on the team and makes informed decisions based on their knowledge. Planning and preparation are the most vital elements prior to managing a crisis, and communication is the most vital element while managing a crisis.

A crisis requires a more hands-on approach from leaders. You will need to do a lot more decision-making, communication, update meetings, and follow throughs with more people in the company that you would normally have to. This is a time when micromanagement is needed, where leaders cannot afford to “drop the ball.”

Applying situational leadership during a crisis involves dynamic assessment and adaptability. Begin by understanding the crisis's urgency, complexity, and the team's readiness. For high urgency, adopt a directive approach; coach in complex situations. Supportive leadership builds morale, while delegative empowers capable team members. Constantly reassess and pivot based on evolving circumstances. Prioritize transparent communication, providing clear guidance when needed and fostering collaboration. The key is to tailor your leadership style to the immediate needs of the crisis, ensuring a nimble and effective response. #SituationalLeadership #CrisisManagement #AdaptiveLeadership

At the crux, it’s about the ability to assess the situation, its impact on business and personal needs; it requires agility to evolve responses (crisis or otherwise). In owning the leadership response, you set the tone, priority whilst deftly balancing your team’s motivation and resiliency. It’s also important to capture the lessons learnt and celebrate the wins along the way and at the end!

A useful resource to inform leadership in crisis is the Cynefin framework developed by David Snowden. It differentiates five domains: clear, complicated, complex, chaotic, and confused. Crisis leads to a chaotic or confused state in organizations. In the chaotic domain, leaders need to act swiftly, even without clear direction, then sense whether the initial action leads towards a desired direction, and lastly respond to the feedback. In the confused domain, it's unknown what actions are required. Snowden and Boone (2007) argue that "the way out of this realm is to break down the situation into constituent parts and assign each to one of the other four realms. Leaders can then make decisions and intervene in contextually appropriate ways."

Leadership is dynamic in nature. How does a leader behave is not only on the Task behaviour and Relationship behaviour, but also the actual status of the Project / Task. For instance, a very matured person can behave erratically, before touching the milestone OR a newbie / immature team member can act responsibly to make a mark for the project / task and/or themselves. Hence it is the capability / intellect / competency of the Leader to use the style of Situational Leadership (Telling, Selling, Participating, Delegating) then & there. In hindsight, everyone’s vision is 20/20, it the Situational Leadership style which provides the foresight.

We have certainly had enough crises lately to see what works when it comes to leading through crises and what has the research shown? Empathy is the leadership super power. Not only will it help leaders assess what style is needed based on situational leadership but it will also help leaders have a deep understanding of what their team members are experiencing as a result of the crisis. And this is in style no matter what else is going on. Empathy and listening to your team is the foundation of leading in any situation but so important during difficult times.

In crises, leaders must leverage the power of high IQ and EQ in combination with instinct (formed by years of experience, observation and learning) and data to appropriately triage. CEOs, in particular, must excel at this, else their businesses will suffer. In CEO selection processes, demonstrated ability to lead and drive to a successful outcome in a crisis is often a key criterion by which candidates are evaluated. It is more important than ever given the 24/7 spotlight on CEOs today and the speed at which news travels.

Aplicar a lideran?a situacional em uma situa??o de crise implica avaliar o contexto, a maturidade e o conhecimento da equipe. Estes pontos s?o importantes para o líder escolher o melhor estilo a adotar. Por exemplo, em uma situa??o que envolva riscos para as pessoas e a organiza??o , um estilo diretivo/autoritario pode ser recomendado . Já quando uma crise é gerada pela mudan?a de lideran?a, o estilo afiliativo pode ser mais eficaz. Adaptar o estilo de lideran?a ao contexto e as necessidades da equipe impacta positivamente no clima organizacional e no engajamento.