Week 48, 2019
Will/Skill Matrix: Support, Direction, and Awareness
Each week I share three ideas for how to make work better. And this week, the topic is Situational Leadership and the Will Skill Matrix.
Why am I writing about this? The Will/Skill Matrix helps you, the manager, to think about and adapt your managerial style to the needs of the person(s) you are managing. And as with all good frameworks, it manages to be both simple and profound at the same time.
Support
Motivation (Will) is a curious thing. It can be hard to talk about and it has a tendency to change over time. But as a manager, you do need to know how your people feel about their situation. And so you need to ask. And you need to ask often. Because you’ll want to provide the right amount of (emotional) support. And you’ll want to provide it at the right time.
For more on motivation, check out w392018 with takeaway’s from Daniel Pink’s book Drive — The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
Direction
Competence (Skill) can at times be equally baffling. Because while hard skills tend to be easy to assess, soft skills are more ethereal in nature. But here too, you, the manager, must remain fully informed. Because you’ll want to provide as little (or as much) direction as your people need. As with so many other things in life, the trick is to get it just right.
For more on competency, check out w332018 for three frameworks on skill acquisition: ShuHaRi, 4 Stages, and the Dreyfus Model.
Awareness
The matrix comes to us from Hershey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership. A fact I mention solely becuase I want to emphasize the fact that leadership is situational. What works for one person in one situation may not work for that same person in a different context. And as a manager, it’s your job to stay aware; to know what works when, and to act accordingly.
For more on this, I suggest you familiarize yourself with Situational Leadership. Toolshero provides a good starting point.
There is no one-size-fits-all leadership style. As a manager, you need to adapt your approach to the needs of your people. And that means getting comfortable with a range of different approaches. At times, you might need to micromanage (low will/skill). In others, you might need to delegate and get out of the way (high will/skill). Neither is strictly right or wrong. It depends on the situation. And so the next time you find yourself in a position to help someone, ask yourself where on the matrix the person in front of you currently reside. Then act accordingly.
That’s all for this week.
Until next time, stay calm.
