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Situational leadership
A leader without passion is like a dancer without body language.
Niclas Timmerby
As a leader, you will often find yourself in various situations that require you to make both straightforward and challenging decisions. I would like to suggest that the four choices outlined below are among the most important,as they will govern the decisions you make and the evaluations you will need to conduct in the future.
- Focus on influencing results or focus on influencing culture.
- Control systems or passion and will.
- Result-oriented leadership or value-driven leadership
- Assessment culture or development culture.
The foundation, regardless of your choices above, is to consciously engage in situational leadership.
If you are unaware of the current phase your organization is in, you will lack a clear understanding of how to lead effectively.
Therefore, this section addresses this crucial aspect.Here, you will receive the fundamentals, a process for how you as a leader can concretely begin to apply this theory, a proposal for a workshop that you can implement within your organization, as well as relevant studies related to this theory.
Situational leadership is grounded in research derived from studies and observations of leadership behaviors and their effects on employee performance and the work environment.
Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard initially conducted research and observations to identify different leadership styles and their impact on employee motivation and performance.
They identified four main leadership styles: directive leadership, supportive leadership, participative leadership, and delegative leadership. These are sometimes reformulated as; authoritative, supportive, coaching, and delegative.
The four components of situational leadership.
What is your organization’s overall maturity level, and in which phase is it currently situated regarding competence and engagement, both individually and as a group? Reflect on how you, as a leader, can influence and change these dynamics.
- Directive leadership: This style is employed when the organization is newly formed or has a low maturity level. In this phase, the team requires clear instructions and guidelines to get started and to understand their roles and responsibilities. The leader provides explicit directives and takes control of the situation to guide the team in the right direction.Summary: This approach is utilized when team members are inexperienced or possess low competence in the task at hand.
- Supportive Leadership: This style is employed when the organization has begun to develop and has reached a certain level of maturity. At this stage, the team can operate more independently but requires support and encouragement to continue growing. The leader provides feedback, encouragement, and assistance to enhance employees' confidence and motivation.Summary: This approach is used when employees have some experience but still need support and persuasion to effectively perform their tasks.
- Participative leadership (Coaching): Participative leadership is utilized when the entity has a high level of maturity and is capable of contributing its ideas and opinions. At this stage, the entity is selfdriven and needs to be involved in decision-making to feel included and engaged. The leader promotes open communication, delegates responsibility, and encourages collaboration and creativity.
”The deeper you get to know your team
members' emotions, values, motivations,
drives, obstacles, goals, and dreams
the more they will contribute and be
passionate about you as a leader.”
- Niclas Timmerby, on the importance of
tailored coaching
An additional aspect that has evolved within this concept is coaching leadership, which began to gain traction in business during the 1990s, notably through the work of Sir John Whitmore in his 1992 book"Coaching for Performance." This work emphasised the significance of employing coaching techniques and methods in corporate management to foster employee development and enhance performance. In this model, the leader acts as a coach or mentor, developing team members by asking questions, actively listening, providing feedback, and assisting them in identifying and achieving their goals.Summary: This style is utilized when employees are competent and motivated but still require support and encouragement. It is important to recognize the two components: (A)"participative," which promotes open communication, delegates responsibility, and encourages collaboration and creativity; and (B)"coaching," which focuses on fostering individual development and growth by helping employees discover their own solutions and take responsibility for their personal development.
- Delegating Leadership: is employed when the group exhibits a high level of maturity, is self-sufficient, and possesses experience in their field. In this context, the group is capable of making their own decisions to achieve established goals. The leader provides support and resources as needed but grants the group responsibility and authority, along with the freedom to make decisions and take accountability for completing tasks.Summary: This is used when the employees are both competent and motivated.
Reflection exercise: My own entity.
Take about 15 minutes to reflect on your team members as you read the summaries again. Where do they stand today: 1, 2, 3, or 4?
Consider your own leadership journey as well.A true leader does n
