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Situational Leadership (SL) Adapting Your Leadership Style to Specific Situations and People |
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By Vadim Kotelnikov and J. Kenneth Boggs
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"Leadership is an action, not a word." – Richard P. Cooley |
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The Tao of Situational Leadership
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Leader's Behavior1
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Situational Leadership Defined The situational approach to leadership is based on the assumption that each instance of leadership is different and therefore requires a unique combination of leaders, followers, and leadership situations. This interaction is commonly expressed in formula form: SL=f(L,F,S), where SL is successful leadership; f stands for function of; and L, F, and S are, respectively, the leader, the follower, and the situation. In other words, this formula says that successful leadership is a function of a leader, follower, and situation that are appropriate for one another.5 Leadership Styles
The are four leadership styles (but there is no one best leadership style):
Depending on your employees' competences in their task areas and commitment to them, your leadership style may vary from one person to another. You may also lead the same person one way sometimes and another way at other times. Use a variety of leadership styles in directing and supporting the work of others and make them a second nature to you in your roles as a manager and as a parent. Using the Skill/Will Matrix If you assigned a task to someone and the job does not quite get done well enough, one of the most likely reasons is that:
Consequently, whether you are managing, or leading, or coaching, it is critical to match your style of interaction with the coachee's readiness for the task. The Skill/Will Matrix will help you do this... More Situational Leadership and Possible Misunderstandings By J. Kenneth Boggs There are four SL styles: telling, selling, participating and delegating. Telling is appropriate for those least ready to work independently and delegating for those most ready. As those who are being led grow towards independence, the leader must progress through all of the SL levels. Leaders who do not match their style to that of those being led make it impossible for those being led to grow towards independence. Leaders are also challenged to deal with the possibility that their leadership may be perceived in a negative light. A leader who ignores either the possibility of negative perceptions, the actual occurrence of negative perceptions or the justification for negative perceptions is living in denial. The leader who lives in this denial is climbing out on a limb; the longer the denial goes on, then the further out on that limb the leader climbs. Eventually the limb may break and down will come the leader. This approach is risky and not recommended. In summary, SL describes how leaders interact with those being led. This interaction depends on the readiness of those being led, which changes. Thus it is essential that leaders monitor the readiness of those being led and adjust their leadership style accordingly. Misunderstandings may occur and must be dealt with. This always means an adjustment on the leader’s part. Last, people are sensitive about a leader’s priority – is the primary focus of the work for the benefit of those led or is it for that of the leader. When the primary focus is perceived to be first for the benefit of the leader, many undesirable negative behaviors are energized on the part of those led and further growth toward independence suspended. On the other hand, when the primary focus of the work is perceived to be first for the benefit of those led, the greatest energy is given to the work and growth towards independence. This then frees up the leader to do other work and thus to become an even more effective leader. Inspirational Leadership: 10 Roles
Inspirational leaders create an
inspiring
culture within their organization.
People do what they have to do for a manager, they do their best for an inspirational leader... More Situational Leadership Perceived Positively and Negatively By J. Kenneth Boggs People can perceive your different situational leadership styles both positively (focus on others and their benefits) and negatively (focus on self and for the benefit of self)... More
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