So you want to be a leader…#3
Situational Leadership — another excellent leadership model
Last time we discussed the Six Domains of Leadership™ (SDL) model which helps us understand what leader behaviors lead to desired leadership effects. It is an excellent model, with extensive use and assessments (we use the Six Domains of Leadership Survey (SDLS) to gather information and coach the leader).
While SDL is an excellent model and the SDLS (survey) is extremely helpful at helping the leader understand how they see themselves and how it compares with how others see them, it does not explicitly take into account the followers: how the followers see themselves and their readiness status for any one task. A model that directly addresses this situation is Situational Leadership.
Originally developed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hershey, it helps the leader understand how they should behave with respect to the follower based on the follower’s level of commitment and readiness for a specific task. The assessment for any one task by the leader does not apply to the person across the board. It is for that specific task.
There are various books describing the model, with one of the first ones, Management of Organizational Behavior Utilizing Human Resources having numerous editions. The link here is to the 8th edition. I have the 4th edition. It’s academic, which is why I just ordered The Situational Leader by Paul Hersey. It is shorter (128 pages vs. 550 pages). Note that this later book has limited availability. The one I ordered is a used book from a third party through Amazon. Wikipedia has a good article on Situational Leadership.
The Model
The model , as show in in the image below, separates and color codes the follower and leader’s behavior. The follower’s progress is read from right to left, from D1 to D4, for a specific task.
The leader starts in the bottom right quadrant, S1, which matches the followers D1 stage. The follower moves up to S2 when the follower is at D2, etc.
D1/S1
The model proposes that for any one task a follower is very excited about it, but does not have knowledge on how to do the task. For the follower, this is stage D1: Low Competence and High Commitment. A typical example is a brand new college graduate taking on a task in a job for the first time. The supervisor should follow the S1 behavior: Directing — High Directive and Low Supportive behavior. In other words, what the follower needs is clear directions. They are very motivated (Hight Commitment) so there’s little need for supportive behavior by the leader.
A typical conversation would be:
- Supervisor: “Jane, these are the steps you need to follow. What questions do you have?”
- Jane: “I’m ready, boss! Can you clarify step 3?”
- Supervisor: “Great. Step 3 means … Check with me before you start step 3. There’s a decision there that I’ll make.”
Note that the leader is the one who makes any decisions.
D2/S2
As the follower develops their competence (skills), D2, they have some competence (not much) but their commitment starts dropping. Things are not as easy as they thought they would be, nor are they as exciting as they were originally. The supervisor should use behavior S2: Coaching where they provide high levels of direction and support.
- Supervisor: “Jane, you are doing great. Thank you for coming to me before step 3. As we discussed, it was important to do it right. You did. Now, let’s talk about step 4. Do you have any questions?”
- Jane: “Thank you. It was a challenge. Thanks for your guidance. For step 4, how do you …”
- Supervisor: “Well, collect all the facts about that step. Talk to Joe and Mary. Then let’s get together to discuss that step and how to best proceed. Keep up the good work!”
Note that the leader still decides, but the decision is discussed with the follower.
D3/S3
As the follower develops more skills (D3 moderate-high competence) their level of commitment varies as they have some successes as well as some struggles. The supervisor should use behavior S3: Supporting which provides some direction (very little) but high support. In other words, the leader encourages the follower to keep growing while helping them have the confidence to complete the task.
- Supervisor: “Jane, well done. I think you have the hang of it. What do you think?”
- Jane: “Yes, but at times I’m not sure I’m doing it right. In step 5, what do I do?”
- Supervisor: “Let’s talk about it but I think you can figure it out.”
- …
- Supervisor: “So, what are you going to do with step 5?”
- Jane: “I’ll … and that will let me start working on step 6.”
- Supervisor: “Excellent, Jane. You have it.”
Note that while there’s a discussion about the decision, the follower decides.
D4/S4
Finally, the follower reaches D4 in their development for this particular task. The leader can Delegate (S4), providing very little direction or support. These followers are your go-to people for this task.
A typical conversation would be:
- Supervisor: “When will step 6 be done, Jane?”
- Jane: “Monday.”
- Supervisor: “OK, let me know if you need anything.”
The follower decides on their own.
Mismatches
Note that mismatches can lead to frustration and bad results. Andrew Woo mentions this in his LinkedIn article “Situational Leadership Deployment Lessons” in which he credits one of his team members for finding a short Pixar video that demonstrates what can happen when a supervisor uses S4 with a D1. I wish I had this video when I taught about Situational Leadership.
The reverse, S1 with a D4, can be just as bad if not worse, with the D4 regressing (not in terms of competence but in terms of commitments). This is typically what is known as micromanaging. I had a supervisor at Intel who would take a long vacation. Upon his return, he would start micromanaging me, something he did not do before he went on vacation. Luckily, my level of commitment was high enough and I retrained him to stop that behavior!
Situational Leadership and the Six Domains of Leadership
We can use both models in developing and improving our leadership skills. I have addressed the two models in a couple of prior articles, “Situational Leadership and the Six Domains of Leadership” and “Situational Leadership — Leveraging SDL’s Personal Leadership”. Together, these two models can help a leader be a much better leader.
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