Situational leadership: understand what it is and see examples

A good leader is said to be like a chameleon, able to adapt to many circumstances and still emerge from them having learned something.

Following this same line of thought, the situational leadership theory suggests that there are several leadership styles, which vary according to the company’s strategies and the maturity of its team . Understand this concept better with examples in the following article.

What is situational leadership?

The theory, created in 1969 by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey – two giant experts in leadership and influence in the world – proposes that the leader must adapt his leadership style to each situation or task to meet the needs of his team, the teams that communicate with his and the company’s strategy as a whole.

To say that there is no “one size fits all” theory may also point to the idea that there is no style of leadership suitable for every company or every type of team.

To understand this better, just think about the following situations: when you were starting out in your professional life, you probably had a leader who taught you the ropes to perform your role and answered your questions. You gained the necessary experience and, over time, you advanced in your career.

After that, you started working at another company where you did similar work, but at a senior level, so you had a manager who was more direct, focused on objectives and problem-solving skills. Do you agree that the first manager would no longer fit in the second case? This is the practical application of situational leadership.

The 4 Leadership Styles

The proposed model defines four leadership styles. Each of them is adapted to the life stage of the leader and his/her team.

1. Direction (E1)

The first leadership style encompasses those who need to direct their subordinates because, if no direction is given, the process will not flow. It is recommended for teams with employees who still have fewer skills or are quite insecure.

This approach prioritizes direct communication between leader and subordinate, and the demands are more focused on what the leader has gone through than on other skills, prioritizing good coexistence and development.

2. Orientation (E2)

In this style, the leader is still the focal point of decision-making, but is more open to discussions about tasks, and is therefore focused on guiding the team towards what can be done – and no longer on directing them.

This is where the leader comes in who is more focused on medium complexity projects, who is only important in saying what will be done, how and when it will be delivered.

Still, it is a leadership style that works very well for teams with less skill, but who have been performing the role for some time and are able to receive feedback for their continued growth.

3. Support (E3)

Supportive leadership is focused on the collaboration of the team as a whole, and demands arise from those being led to the leader and not the other way around, as happens in the two previous leadership styles.

This style also has a higher skill level and its task is to analyze results more objectively and make more assertive decisions. This is the famous leader who reviews everything that was done during the day to maintain the “gold standard of quality”.

4. Autonomy (E4)

Finally, the last leadership style is the most mature of the four. Here, leadership focuses on giving autonomy to those being led, since they already have skills and are, for the most part, self-manageable.

As there is a balance, activities are more horizontal and the difference between leader and followers is not so apparent, since everyone can speak in the same way and participate in decision-making almost independently.

Maturity levels

Just as the leader is divided into four groups, the maturity level of those being led is also divided into four levels.

1. First level

Team members are still beginners and do not have the knowledge or skills to complete tasks within the required time frame.

2. Second level

The leaders are more willing than the previous ones, but they still do not have the desired skills.

3. Third level

Those led already have the skills to complete tasks, but they are not mature enough to take on certain responsibilities.

4. Fourth level

Team members are qualified, take responsibility and are able to complete tasks within the given time frame.

Making the right combinations between style and maturity

Ultimately, in addition to getting to know the types of leaders better according to the moment they are in, it is possible to make a “match” between the styles and the maturity levels in the following way:

• First level of maturity – Management leadership
• Second level of maturity – Orientation leadership
• Third level of maturity – Supportive leadership
• Fourth level of maturity – Autonomy leadership

Qualities of a Situational Leader

A situational leader has qualities that are internalized to the point that he is the very representation of the phrase “a rocket doesn’t go in reverse!”. This does not mean that he does not take steps backwards or forwards, after all, this does not exist in this leadership model.

A leader who acted autonomously and had a level 4 team may change companies and start working with a level 2 team. In this model, this is not regressing, but being flexible.

Situational leaders adapt very well because they understand their role in the team and the company and, for this reason, they can be very flexible. In addition, they listen much more than they speak.

This happens because of the culture of diagnosis. It is very common to hear from a situational leader that, in the first days or weeks of work in a new position, he will carry out a diagnosis of everything and everyone and only then begin his implementations and corrections.

For this reason, he also has a great sense of direction and participation. If during the diagnosis he realizes that he needs to change a process flow, it will be extremely important to teach and direct the team to another process.