Situational Leadership® Definition, Pros, Cons & Tips

As a manager, you hold the key to unlocking workers’ success. Choosing the right leadership style can help you to support your team and get the best results. There are many options out there — so it’s a tough decision. In the following guide, we will be taking a look at the Situational Leadership® model, its pros and cons, and how you can use it.

What is Situational Leadership®?

Situational Leadership® is about changing your approach depending on the scenario and the needs of your workers. Rather than using a “one size fits all” leadership method, it is all about being flexible and adaptable to each new situation that you come across.

Also known as the Hersey-Blanchard Model, the theory was developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard back in 1969. Situational Leadership® theory identifies four leadership styles that you can adopt, depending on which will best suit the person you are leading.

Why versatile leadership matters

So, why does it matter? Well, the professional world is multifaceted, and so you need to be ready to adapt to any given situation. That’s where the versatile theory comes into play. Of course, when you work in any type of managerial role, you have a wealth of individual factors to consider. These may include the following core examples, for starters: 

• Workers’ backgrounds. No two professionals are the same. When you’re working as part of a team, you should keep in mind that we all come from different socio-economic backgrounds and may also have differing education and experience. 

• Learning styles. Every professional has a different learning style. Some people are visual learners and respond best to charts and graphs. Others may be verbal and respond to oral instructions. Whatever the case, you need to adapt your approach. 

• Personalities and egos. Let’s say that you work with two admin support professionals. They might do the same work… but chances are, they don’t have the same personalities. One may be more ego-driven than the other, for example. 

• Driving factors. What is it that drives this person? What are their motivators? Are they looking for a raise? Do they want to make the job easier for everyone else? Getting to grips with why people do certain things will help your leadership style. 

Adopting a versatile approach means that you take into consideration all or any of the above. Once you get to know your team — and, indeed, the situation at hand — you can decide what leadership strategies best fit the bill and then employ them to great effect.

When you use Situational Leadership® theory, the focus is on how much support each worker needs. When using this model, you first assess the needs of the individual and then pick one of the four leadership styles to use. However, it’s worth noting that this model does not take into consideration a person’s education level, core motivators, or background. 

How the Situational Leadership® theory works 

Do you want to apply Situational Leadership® to your work-life? If so, you need to understand the basics. To use this approach, there are two main steps that you need to follow. Here’s a quick breakdown of how the model works in real terms.

Step 1: Define your “follower” (i.e. understand the worker)

The Situational Leadership® theory refers to the people you lead as your “followers”. These could be members of staff in a team you are managing, for example. Let’s not get too bogged down in the terminology. The first step of the process is defining your follower. 

Put simply, that means assessing what level of maturity and self-discipline the person has. Does this worker need a wealth of support, or can they handle their workload? To help you figure that out, you should decide which of the following categories the person falls into: 

• High maturity. This one means that the worker is confident in their work and knows what they are doing. Most of the time, a “follower” who falls into this category won’t need a whole load of hand-holding. They can work independently with ease. 

• Moderate high maturity. As you might imagine, the next level down includes individuals who are experienced and can work well on their own. However, these so-called followers may lack some important skills or have lower confidence levels.

• Moderate low maturity. Workers in this category have the confidence to do their work but are often unwilling to do so. They may find it hard to learn new skills on the job, for example, and so need extra support when they are completing tasks. 

• Low maturity. These are workers who don’t have the skills that they need to get the job done. However, the workers that you find in this category also tend to be highly enthusiastic, which means that they have a high willingness to learn new things.

Think about the worker you are dealing with. What characteristics do they have? When you have figured out which category they fit into, you can decide what approach to take with them. If the person sits between two categories, try to choose the best match of the two. 

Step 2: Pick one of the four Situational Leadership® styles

Now that you’re clear on your “follower,” let’s talk about how you can lead them. The next step is to determine which of the below leadership approaches will support their needs. To make things easier, the Situational Leadership® theory breaks the methods you can use into four easy-to understand styles, as follows: 

1. Directing 

Also known as “telling,” directing is what it says it is. You should use this leadership style when you are dealing with someone who needs the highest level of support. 

The idea is that you make the decisions on behalf of the worker, and then tell them what to do. You might even go as far as to provide detailed descriptions for the worker, explaining the steps that they need to take to complete a certain task. As you might imagine, this approach means that the worker doesn’t have to give much thought to the work that they do. 

2. Coaching 

Next up, there’s the coaching approach. This may also be called “selling” or “persuading” in some guides. This method works best with individuals who are not very capable of completing a task but who show a wealth of enthusiasm. 

Essentially, you open a two-way dialogue with the worker and coach them through the process. The worker is encouraged to ask questions and get feedback during this period. That means that they have the chance to learn directly from you as a leader and — with time – improve their existing skill-set.

3. Supporting 

Let’s say that the worker has the ability to do the task but, for whatever reason, they aren’t playing ball. They may be unwilling or even lack the confidence that they need to get it done. In that case, you can adopt a supporting role. This Situational Leadership® style is often called “participating” or “sharing,” depending on who you ask. When you use it, it means allowing the worker to take the lead while you offer you input when needed. It’s a relatively “hands off” approach, meaning that the worker needs to use their own initiative at work.

4. Delegating 

And finally, if you have a worker who has the abilities needed plus the confidence and enthusiasm (i.e. the dream combination), delegating is the way to go. That means briefly outlining what you want the worker to do and what outcomes you expect. You then allow the worker to take the reins and decide what happens next. As you reach the deadline, you review what the worker has done and look at the individual processes they have used.

This approach means giving the worker the highest level of autonomy over the task that they are completing. While it takes a level of trust on your part, the results that it yields might just surprise you. Of course, you should only use this with highly independent workers. 

Situational Leadership® theory pros 

Now that you understand what the Situational Leadership® theory is, let’s talk about why it’s popular. Here are the core benefits you can expect when you use this leadership approach: 

• Suits different workers. The biggest strength of the Situational Leadership® theory is the fact that it is adaptable. When you are working with a diverse selection of people, using the same approach doesn’t always work. This theory means assessing the person you are managing and determining what method will work for their needs. 

• Easy to understand. Let’s face it, the Situational Leadership® theory is hardly rocket science. As a manager, there are many different theories that you can use to support your leadership. However, while some are convoluted, this method can be easily learned and applied in your everyday work life. For that reason, the Situational Leadership® theory has become massively popular in the modern workplace. 

• Can be adapted. Whenever you use a leadership method, there has to be an element of trial and error. The Situational Leadership® theory is no different. You can use one of the four styles with a certain worker and see whether that suits their needs. If a style is not working well enough, you may choose to pick another to trial.

Situational Leadership® theory cons 

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There are some slight downsides to using the Situational Leadership® theory. Let’s take a look at some of the cons of this particular working model:

• Focused on individuals. The Situational Leadership® theory is focussed heavily on individuals’ needs and learning styles. However, many managers lead small teams, instead. When you are dealing with a group — in which there will be a variety of professionals — it can be hard to apply the Situational Leadership® model well. 

• Difficult in practice. Adapting your leadership style is smart in theory. However, not all managers are adept at switching up the strategies that they use when leading. With that in mind, this versatile method can prove quite tricky for some managers. 

• Overly simplistic. One of the major criticisms of the Situational Leadership® model is that it over simplifies a complex matter. The theory breaks workers down into just four categories when, in reality, there are many different factors at play. That means that this approach may not suit all workers or, indeed, all managers out there. 

Tips for using the Situational Leadership® model

Ready to start using the  Situational Leadership® model? Before you adopt this method, there are some extra tips you may want to keep in mind. Here are some handy hints: 

• Get to know each worker. When you are using this model, it is most important to understand each worker on a deep level. Before you choose which style to use, take the time to get to know the “follower” and what their work style is. That may mean spending some extra time with them in the workplace or running assessments. 

• Ask the worker for feedback. When you have started using a certain leadership style, you may think that things are going swimmingly. However, you need some vital feedback from the worker to confirm this fact. Always ask them for their opinion. 

• Review and adapt. As we have already mentioned, this is a game of trial and error. When you’re working with a certain person, take the time to assess how well the style suits both of you. You can always change and adapt the leadership approach later. 

Final thoughts

Situational Leadership® is one of many models that you may choose to adopt. By this point, you should be well-versed on this approach’s potential and what you can expect from it. While it’s not a perfect model, it does allow you to adapt to different workers with ease. Take the time to research other leadership styles and see which one suits you and your team.

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