How can you use the Hersey-Blanchard model to adapt your coaching style?

Situational leadership, aka Hersey-Blanchard model, is my go-to framework to determine the best supporting method to others, workforce and life situations alike. The associated leadership style based on the individual or task's competency and confidence level are below: 1) Telling: low competence & low confidence. Lots of hand-holding and specific directives are needed. 2) Selling: mid competence & high confidence. Some directives but more focus on enticing the individual with bigger picture. 3) Participating: High competence & medium to low confidence. Share decision making responsibilities and give less directives. 4) Delegating: High competency & high confidence. Delegate fully and only check in on progress periodically.

For clients who are new to a specific area or topic, a more directive approach is beneficial, providing step-by-step guidance. As they gain more experience and confidence, you can transition to a coaching style, offering more interactive discussion and problem-solving. For those who are competent but may lack confidence, a supporting style works well, encouraging them to take ownership while you facilitate and assist. For highly mature clients, a delegating style allows them to take full control. By continuously assessing your client's progress and adapting your approach, you can meet them where they are, which is vital for effective coaching. This system is a powerful leadership practice as well.

How can a one size fits all leadership style meet the growing demands of an increasingly diverse society? Situational leadership always offers a more inclusive and welcoming solution to any team or organization. One thing I’ve found incredibly effective with situational leadership is the ability to improve employee retention and productivity through acknowledgement of personality and generational diversity! Understanding individual strengths and communication style in a team environment fuels trust and engagement on a whole new level!

In my previous corporate leadership roles I found the situational leadership model to be practical and useful based on its 2 principles and 4 leadership styles. ?? different strokes for different persons (situations) ?? different strokes for same person I have been using this model as well in my neuroleadership coaching role. ?? different situations require different styles of coaching for the same person ???teaching ???supporting/selling ???coaching ???delegating

The Hersey-Blanchard approach (Situational Leadership Theory) is all about seeing the "leader as a completer", which means that the starting point is not which style (directing/coaching/supporting/delegating) I should use, but what is the situation I am facing (mission, task, project)? And then, what is the level of development (competence x commitment) of the person in charge to achieve it? I have to say that the leaders I accompany in my leadership development programs all love it because it is both easy to integrate and powerful to consciously apply in their daily practice.

My Life Coaching style is client driven. I ask, not tell. I believe they have the answers they need within them already, they may just need some powerful and insightful questions or techniques to find them. As a coach I am not the expert in their life so I am not telling, selling, persuading, or delegating. My client is always in control of the direction of the session, or what they want from it, and they are responsible for their co-creation within the process. Autonomy and responsibility are not mine to give. It is not up to me to trust them to manage their own learning and growth, it is up to them to trust themselves to do that. Perhaps this Hersey-Blanchard style is more about leadership training, not professional coaching.

I agree with @ShelleyDagorne, this (situational leadership) is not a coaching model as much as a study in best practices on managerial leadership. If I was being hired as a mentor, this would be relevant as I could direct my client. But coaching is not supposed to be directive in the way the H-B model suggests. I am going to be so bold as to suggest that this whole article is an AI hallucination and most likely should not have been written.

I have found it useful when working with managers where one of their development objectives is to adapt their management style. Asking my coachees questions to find out how mature the people on their team are and what management style they are using with each one helps me understand their reality and the questions make the managers reflect and make decisions about their desired behaviors.

The telling and selling process might lead to giving directives to coachees that they might agree to in that moment however after the coaching journey is over they might let go of those agreements. Directives that don’t come from the Coachee themselves can lead to lack of continuous improvement.

Too many challenges! Unlike mentoring or "directing", coaching should not be prescriptive - rather, the client themselves should drive the solutions. While situational leadership models like Hersey-Blanchard focus on adapting to the maturity level of subordinates in a hierarchical work relationship, this dynamic differs from the coaching context. In coaching, the coach plays a facilitative role, not an authoritative one. The coach's job is to ask powerful questions that spark the client's own insights. While understanding the client's needs is important, the coach does not provide directives or advice. Instead, coaching presupposes that the best solutions come from within the client, with the coach guiding the discovery process.

The Hersey-Blanchard Model is a great instrument for leadership development, but it demands a thorough knowledge, accurate evaluation, adaptability, good communication, and a dedication to continual improvement and feedback. To overcome the problems of the Hersey-Blanchard Model, a complete comprehension of the theory is required. Make sure that both leaders and team members understand the model's ideas, such as the four leadership styles (Telling, Selling, Participating, and Delegating) and the four maturity levels (M1, M2, M3, and M4).

The Hersey-Blanchard model, proposes that leadership effectiveness is determined by the leader's ability to adapt to the needs and capabilities of their followers. The one thing it misses is the skill of listening to the unsaid, The 3 limitations this model has are: -Leaders need a high level of emotional intelligence at all times to understand and lead their teams, which can be time-consuming. -Leader are expected to balance the team and organizational needs creating a safe space for every to share their challenges. -New leaders often find it hard to implement the model All of this can be built with training, however, with the addition of deep listening a lot of these hurdles can be overcome

Another way to use the Hersey-Blanchard model to your coaching style is by incorporating elements of emotional intelligence. This means not only assessing the readiness level of your coachee in terms of task and relationship, but also considering their emotional state and how it might impact their ability to learn and grow. This approach allows you to tailor your coaching techniques to provide the right level of support and empathy, enhancing the coachee's development journey

I have adapted the Situational Leadership model (Hersey-Blanchard) to my Situational Coaching with my clients. It has served me well over my 18 years. ?? As I have been using it in my Leadership style, the same principles apply to coaching as well. ???Different strokes for different persons ???Different strokes for same person My clients (owners, founders, entrepreneurs, C-suite) have different needs, experience, exposure and expertise. ?? I have to assess and discover their developmental needs based on situations and then apply the 4 styles accordingly. ??Tell/teach ??Support/sell ??Coach ??Delegate As I have stated constantly, there is no pure coaching. Most times for me, it is teach before coach.

??Situational Coaching Style I find Hersey's and Blanchard's idea that there is no one best way to lead, but rather a range of styles that vary in the amount of direction and support you provide your clients applicable as a coach as well. The Hersey-Blanchard model is a framework that helps you tailor the model's four styles: telling/teaching, selling/supporting, participating/coaching, and delegating. Each style corresponds to a different level of maturity or readiness of your clients, which depends on their competence/capabilities and commitment. From my personal experience I am constantly using the 4 styles, even with the same client due to the different situations faced. I have never used pure coaching in my 18 years of work.