Situational Leadership

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Situational Leadership

• Lt Col Eric Davis
• Director of Cadet Programs

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Overview

• Thoughts on Leadership
• Discuss situational leadership
• List the four leadership styles
• Determine which leadership style to use

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Leadership

• Leadership is the art of influencing and
  directing people in such a way as to win their
  obedience, confidence, respect and loyal
  cooperation in the achievement of a common goal.
• United States Air Force Definition of Leadership

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Leadership Thoughts

• You can buy a mans time. You can buy his
  physical presence at a given place. You can even
  buy a measured number of skilled muscular motions
  per hour. But you cannot buy the devotion of
  hearts or souls. You must earn these.
• Clarence Francis

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Leadership

• Is teaching and directing a person to achieve a
  goal
• Is coaching a person so that he can stand on
  their own
• Is supporting a person as he becomes self
  motivated
• Is delegating the task to the person when the
  person is ready

• Is not compelling or forcing someone to do your
  will
• Is not achieved by intimidation or fear
• Does not involve punishment

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Situational LeadershipOverview

• Leaders must be flexible
• One leadership style does NOT fit all occasions
• Each leadership situation is different the style
  you use depends on
• the follower
• the followers task
• Leadership success requires use of correct style
  for each situation.

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Four BasicLeadership Styles

• S1
• S2
• S3
• S4

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The Four BasicLeadership Styles

• S1 - Directive
• The leader provides specific instructions and
  closely supervises task accomplishment
• S2 - Coaching
• The leader continues to direct and closely
  supervise task accomplishment but also explains
  decisions, solicits suggestions and supports
  progress

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The Four BasicLeadership Styles

• S3 - Supportive
• The leader facilitates and supports employees
  efforts towards task accomplishment and shares
  responsibility for decision making with them
• S4 - Delegating
• The leader turns over authority for making
  decisions and problem solving to the employees

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Directive Behavior

• Sets goals and objectives
• Makes clear each persons role and task
• Plans the work in advance
• Organizes resources
• Sets timelines

• Determines methods for evaluation followers
  performance
• Shows or tells follower how to do the task
• Check to see if work is done on time and properly

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Supportive Behavior

• Asks for suggestions and input on how to do a job
• Facilitates follower to use problem solving
  skills
• Listens to the problems of the follower

• Encourages or reassures an employee that he can
  do the job
• Communicates info about the organization as a
  whole
• Praises the follower for accomplishing the job.

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Which Style to Use?

• Determine the followers
• Competence to do the job
• Does the follower know how to do the job?
• Addressed by directive leadership behavior
• Education and training
• Commitment to do the job
• Does the follower think he can do the job?
• Addressed by supportive leadership behavior
• Encouragement and reassurance

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Development Levels

• D1
• D2
• D3
• D4

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Development Levels

• D1 - Enthusiastic Beginner
• D2 - Disillusioned Learner
• D3 - Unsure Journeyman
• D4 - Confident Expert

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Enthusiastic Beginner

• Wants to do the job
• High Commitment
• Does not know how to do the job
• Low competence
• Examples

Brand new Cadets CAP cadets attending their first
encampment
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Enthusiastic Beginner

• Leadership Style
• Highly directive leadership behavior
• Teach him/her how to do the job.
• How, What, Where, When
• Low supportive leadership behavior
• Will give a try, once you tell him/her what to do

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Disillusioned Learner

• Competence
• Fairly high in some areas
• Still doesnt know everything needed to succeed
• Has made mistakes
• Commitment has decreased due to loss of
  confidence
• Examples

Cadets 2 years in (C/TSgt) Cadets several days
into the encampment
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Disillusioned Learner

• Leadership Style
• Highly directive leadership behavior
• Continue to tell him/her how to do the job
• Highly supportive leadership behavior
• Encourage, praise, build up confidence, positive
  feedback

The leader continues to direct and closely
supervise task accomplishment but also explains
decisions, solicits suggestions and supports
progress
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Mistakes

• Mistakes are forgiven, even encouraged. We teach
  people that mistakes are like skinned knees for
  little children - theyre painful, but they heal
  quickly and theyre learning experiences.
• Ross Perot

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Unsure Journeyman

• Competence
• He knows what to do and how to do it
• Commitment
• Does not necessarily know that he knows what to
  do
• Is unsure of self
• Hesitant to do it on own
• Fear of failure
• Examples

Junior Cadet Officers First time cadet encampment
staff
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Unsure Journeyman

• Leadership Style
• Low directive leadership behavior
• Person knows what to
• High supportive behavior
• Let them tell you what they are going to go
• Give them permission to do it. Let them know you
  have confidence in their ability

The leader facilitates and supports subordinates
efforts towards task accomplishment and shares
responsibility for decision making with them
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Confident Expert

• High competence level
• Knows the job
• High commitment level
• Confident in ability to do the job
• Examples

Senior Cadet Officers Upper level cadet
encampment staff members
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Confident Expert

• Leadership Style
• Low directive behavior
• The person knows what to do. You do not need to
  tell him/her how to do the job
• Low supportive behavior
• The person wants to do the job. Let him/her do
  it.

The leader turns over authority for
making decisions and problem solving to the
employees
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Which Style to use?

• Discover the followers competence and confidence
  levels
• Talk to the person!
• Choose the mixture of task and supportive
  leadership

• Beginning - Directing
• Learning - Coaching
• Journeyman - Supportive
• Expert - Delegating

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Action Plan

• Look at each situation
• Every event or incident can use situational
  leadership
• Determine the competence and commitment level
• Choose the appropriate style

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QUESTIONS?