The world is filled with diversity. And while it may be easier to use a one-size-fits-all approach in leadership, it’s not as effective as adapting a leadership style to fit the situation. This is where situational leadership comes in.
Situational leadership involves adapting a leadership style to best motivate team members and meet the needs of the organization. This style is fluid, always changing as the environment dictates. It requires the leader to be able to assess the needs of his team and the business, and adjust his management style accordingly at any given time. The paradigm of situational leadership was developed in the 1960s by management professor Paul Hersey at Ohio State University. He later teamed up with Ken Blanchard, author of the best-selling book The One-Minute Manager, to outline the leadership style in their 1969 book, Management of Organizational Behavior. The theory is based in behavioral psychology, taking into account leadership styles as well as the “maturity level,” which considers the level of ability and willingness of the team or individual member to complete a task. In their version, they have four leadership styles:
They also have four levels of maturity:
Later, Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence, adapted the model to include six leadership styles:
All the styles have their pros and cons, and ideal times when they’re needed. For example, styles that involve the leader dictating direction can be ideal when decisions need to be made quickly to avoid problems, or when a team or member has low maturity (M1, M2). However, over the long term, it can lead to resentment, low motivation, and reduced productivity by team members. On the other end of the spectrum, leadership styles that include input from team members encourage cooperation and buy-in to ideas, but decision making can end up being a long process. You can attend situational leadership trainings and workshops. But if you want to get a better sense of the leadership skills, you will need to become a situational leader. Here are a few tips:
Even as a solopreneur, there are benefits to adapting a situational leadership style. While you may be the only person in your business, chances are you have other people involved in helping you manage aspects of your business, such as your webmaster, virtual assistant, accountant, or other freelancers. Some benefits to situational leadership in home business include:
To adopt a situational leadership style, you should be flexible, become an expert at delegation, diagnose your teammates' respective strengths and weaknesses, and coach teammates differently according to their needs.
The different styles of leadership can be broken down into five categories:
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