The Power of Situational Leadership

The game Othello might have one of the best taglines in gaming history. "It takes a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master" is applicable in the simple checker style board but also to the next topic we will cover; situational leadership. This leadership lesson might be the most valuable tool you will ever have in your leadership toolkit.

This article will never be able to cover all the intricacies of Situational Leadership and is only meant to be an introduction to the topic. I would highly recommend that you learn more about it here.

Situational Leadership (referred to as SLII moving forward), created by Paul Hershey and Ken Blanchard, breaks down tasks into two factors; competence and commitment. Competence refers to the ability of the performer in the task. Can they or can they not do the job? The second factor is commitment; are they or are they not motivated to do the task?

The answers to those two questions give you four possible outcomes that Hershey and Blanchard define as developmental levels.

• D1 - Enthusiastic Beginner - this person is excited about the task but has no idea what they are doing or how to do it. They need lots of direction but are usually self-motivated to try.
• D2 - Disillusioned Learner - this person has tried to follow the directions but has limited success because they are not yet competent. Their enthusiasm is waning, and they need reinforcement and reassurance.
• D3 - Capable but cautious performer - this person can do the task but needs reminders of why they are doing the task.
• D4 - Self-reliant Achiever - this person is competent and self-motivated to do the task. They may need to be reminded of the finer points and encouraged, but they are usually self-sufficient.

The simple breakdown of each task gives you a clue into the best way to support the individual. The key is in recognizing that you need to evaluate each task individually, not the person. One person is rarely, if ever, at the same level for each and every task. We must evaluate them independently and not lump all tasks into the same bucket.

Now that we know how to evaluate the task, we can apply the leadership style that best fits the situation. Think of this as you filling the gaps of the individual to get the desired result. To accomplish a task, you need both competence and commitment. If your team member lacks one, you must make up for it. The "D" levels have a corresponding Leadership "S" level. (don't ask me why they didn't use "L" instead. It has been a top question I have had for decades)

S1 - Directing - in this stage, you provide clear, detailed instructions with limited gaps between instruction and inspection. You show them what good looks like through checklists, examples, and role-playing.

S2 - Coaching - in this stage, you provide feedback on their attempts and remind them of what good looks like while encouraging and supporting their efforts to improve.

S3 - Supporting - in this stage, you remind them why they need to do the task but back away from actual instruction. Questioning and allowing them to make decisions is crucial in this stage.

S4 - Delegating - in this stage, you can confidently state the given task and ask them to confirm their understanding. They will provide feedback on their progress and report back if they need assistance.

The first step in using this tool is to evaluate the situation by asking those two simple questions in this specific order.

1. Can they do the task?
2. How committed are they to the task?

Someone who asks you a lot of "What am I doing? How does this work? Where do I go to find x?" questions are in an S1 or S2 status and need clear direction and frequent check-ins. Someone asking, "Why do I need to do this? How does this make anything better?" type of question is in an S2 or S3 status. This provides you a key insight into how best to support them.

Misalignment occurs when you misdiagnose the development level and/or apply the incorrect type of support. You may hear that a leader is causing frustration when micromanaging a direct report. This is a situation where the leader is incorrectly diagnosing the situation and applying an S1 or S2 level of support. If we go through the 2-question framework, there is no value to the direct report if they are getting directions on something that they already know what to do. That is the issue of micromanaging. You can have a similar issue if you are giving emotional support and encouragement to someone who is brand new to a task and is looking for direction. What they need at that moment is direction and inspection, not a pat on the back.

Learning this framework will help you lead, and it will help you self-assess your own level of support. You can use SLII to help you ask for the right leadership level, even if the leader isn't aware of the framework. The two questions can help you identify if you need direction or encouragement to be successful in the task.

As mentioned earlier, this is a simple framework to understand, but it will take time to master it. The investment in learning how to diagnose and support yourself and others will be incredibly worthwhile!

Your feedback is always appreciated. Please let me know your thoughts on this and any other topic that interests you. Thank you!