Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to work with, and for, some great leaders and the occasional not so great one. I have learnt things from each of them. If I was asked to define the quality that sets a great leader apart, I would say it is their ability to adapt their style according to the situation and the needs of their people and inspire followership. I was first introduced to Hersey and Blanchard's theory behind Situational Leadership on a week-long development course that was appropriately named, Changing to Lead. During the course, we were given a variety of practical exercises that required different leadership skills and styles. We took it in turns to lead our small group throughout the week. Each task was followed by feedback from our peers (a sort of Style Council, if you like) and a period of self-reflection. The idea was to operate outside of your comfort zone, develop self-awareness, understand the impact of various leadership styles on others and increase your emotional intelligence. It was a very intensive learning experience and it had a profound impact upon me. I have been a strong advocate for situational leadership ever since. Situational Leadership The essence of situational leadership is that effective leaders should tailor their style according to the situation - the nature of the task and the skills, preferences and experience of the people they are leading. There are four main leadership styles - each defined by their task and relationship behaviours: Directing - telling people what you want them to do and how you want them to do it Participating - showing people what you want them to do and working with them to achieve the desired outcome Supporting - giving people a task and offering support and guidance Delegating - empowering people to undertake a task and monitoring the outcome You may have a natural or preferred style but if you don't adapt, you will have an unhappy team with lots of situation vacant ads and you could eventually end up checking them yourself! There are positive impacts when each style is used appropriately but also negative impacts if you choose or stick to the wrong style. I have summarised the above points in a slide which I hope you will find useful. Be aware of the constantly evolving team dynamic and the need to adapt your leadership style as your people develop and/or change. With leadership, there is no room for complacency - the minute you think you've cracked it, will be the minute it starts going down-hill. Please check out my full article and shoe analogy at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/situational-leadership-one-size-doesnt-fit-all-jon-stephenson

1. Situational Leadership – one size doesn’t fit all!
Jon Stephenson
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stephensonjon
• Tailor your leadership style according to the situation
– consider the nature of the task and the skills, preferences, and experience of the people you're leading
• Use one of the four main options:
 Directing – telling people what you want them to do and how you want them to do it
 Participating – showing people what you want them to do and helping them tackle it
 Supporting – giving people tasks and offering your support & guidance when needed
 Delegating – empowering your people to undertake a task & monitoring the outcome
• Adapt to the needs of your people
– don’t just default to your natural or preferred style
• Respond to evolving team dynamics
– as people develop and change, so will their needs
• Seek regular feedback from them
– don’t be complacent or get too big for your boots!

2. Situational Leadership – one size doesn’t fit all!
Jon Stephenson
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stephensonjon
Supporting Participating
Delegating Directing
High Relationship (Collaborative)
Low Relationship (Authoritative)
High Task
(Controlling)
Low Task
(Empowering)
+ People feel valued, consulted, & involved
+ They enjoy the collaboration
+ They’ll deliver what is expected
− People may want more autonomy
− They may not want precise instructions
− They may feel overpowered
+ People understand what they need to do
+ They’re likely to deliver what is expected
− Leader may not get buy-in
− People may become disengaged, and feel
they’re being controlled and undervalued
− Intrinsic motivation may be reduced
− Creativity may be stifled, so they’re
unlikely to exceed expectations
+ People feel empowered and trusted
+ They enjoy the autonomy
+ Intrinsic motivation is increased
+ Creativity is encouraged, so may overdeliver
− People may feel deserted
− They may be unsure about what they need
to achieve and how to do it
− They may underdeliver
+ People feel they’re appreciated, supported,
and encouraged
+ They’ll deliver what they think is expected
− People may not know how to do the task
− They may feel under less pressure to achieve
− They may underdeliver

3. Supporting Participating
Delegating Directing
High Relationship
(Collaborative)
Low Relationship
(Authoritative)
Low Task
(Empowering)
High Task
(Controlling)
Jon Stephenson
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stephensonjon
Situational Leadership – one size doesn’t fit all!