The main principle of the situational leadership indicates that there is no “best” style of leadership, but rather that its effectiveness is variable, depending on the qualities of the team members and the characteristics of new tasks. Consequently, the key to leading well depends not only on learning how to be a successful leader, but also on improving our adaptability and observation skills.

As an analogy, consider medicine: there, without an accurate diagnosis, all further efforts are not enough to fix the problem. Leadership is similar: it is only once the situation has been correctly studied and the challenges have been identified, that the development or improvement processes can start. We all do practise situational leadership quite often: for example, we may tend to expect better behaviour from adults than from kids, we may permit a newly hired employee to make more mistakes, or by contrast, we may demand accuracy from senior staff. The expectations we set and way we interact with the people concerned in order to achieve our goals are both situation-dependent.

Types of Leadership

Here we can see the most important styles based on the situational leadership theory:

1. Directing: this is the “harshest”, most straight-forward style, often referred as autocratic leadership, because in it only one person makes all the decisions, and the subordinates are not consulted in any way. The employees are giving orders and commands and expected to comply. Although it might go against the beliefs we have about leadership, this style has consistently proven to be effective with young professionals, inexperienced workers, and students.

2. Coaching: this approach is also directive-based but the person in charge is more likely to receive input and feedback from subordinates. The leader comes up with a plan or an idea, and then works to convince the employees about its advantages. In this sense, the leader will become a seller to increase the cooperation from the subordinates. The coaching leadership works on the individual’s personal development, as well as job-related skills, making it a collaboration among parties through permanent discussion and continuous feedback, thus working wonders with people who are aware of their limitations but have a growth mindset and are willing to learn and change.

3. Supporting: here, the leader is present during the decision-making process, but appears to be more of an observer or facilitator rather than a participant. They set the objective but the team has the final word on how to achieve it, based on an understanding of the work on the ground.

4. Delegating: this is the “absent” leadership style, where the leader communicates that they trust the team’s knowledge and experience to get the job done. Although the final word comes from the top, the building and perfecting of the ideas is completely independent. This leadership style is more concerned about the overall vision of the company; the leader provides minimal direction and guidance in the day-to-day decision making process.

As young professionals, knowing where we are in terms of experience and commitment levels, we can be aware of the types of leadership that work best for us, as well as apply them according to the characteristics, skills, and needs of our co-workers. In the upcoming instalment about situational leadership theory, we will know more about the types of employees and how to more closely adapt both sides to create a more effective working environment.

References

1. Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1969). Management of Organizational Behavior – Utilizing Human Resources. New Jersey/Prentice Hall.

2. Hersey, P. & Blanchard, K. H. (1969). “Life cycle theory of leadership”. Training and Development Journal. 23 (5): 26–34.