What Does Situational Leadership Look Like in Action?
Any leadership theory or model can sound great on paper or when reading a set of articles. However, putting them into action can be challenging, or feel unrealistic. As both a researcher of a lot of leadership information and someone who aims to put it into practice, I can attest to the gaps that exist between theory and actualizing the activity. Situational Leadership is no different. If everything happened in a vacuum, this would be an ideal model. If we worked in a world where everyone behaved as expected and there were no distractions, leadership would be easy. In fact, you could almost argue that you wouldn’t need leadership at all. Everyone would do what they were supposed to, at the right time. When you think about the realities we all face, almost everything a leader does relates back to some level of situational leadership. The gap I see is that we generalize, and we end up managing the situation, and not the individuals involved. As I mentioned in the first two articles, that is the risk and, to a degree, misunderstanding of what situational leadership actually is.
With that in mind, I want to explore how situational leadership can be utilized in the real world, with every day circumstances and realities. Keep in mind, as you read the three steps I mention below, that they are not meant to be rigid interpretations or single time events. As you will see, they are all ongoing activities that do not have to be formal events. Scheduling any of these could be an option, but there are less formal ways of addressing any or all of them in the course of day-to-day activities and interactions.
Goal setting
I am using goal setting as the language here to match what is commonly used for Situational Leadership principles. You can easily substitute expectation setting or results in these types of discussion. As a leader, and working with your individual team members, you are establishing what the expected behaviors or results will be. I find that goal setting feels more collaborative, versus expectations. People hear expectations, and it often gets assumed that is ‘top down’, versus the ideal of goal setting is more related to a ‘bottom up’ approach to defining outcomes. The reality is that it has to be a blend of both. There will be expectations established that may be outside both the leader and employee’s hands. How you can achieve those macro-level expectations can be addressed by goals. They almost become micro-expectations to how to reach the higher level results. Goal setting should be done in partnership. The most important part is that the goals are clear (see SMART goals) and agreed upon. That sets the stage for everything else to be aligned.
Observing
A key piece of effective leadership, and one that I find is often overlooked, is observing what is happening. It sounds trivial, and almost silly, but how much time do you truly dedicate to standing back, and watching intently. It can feel odd, especially in most of our retail settings. Initially, you may think it looks strange to stand somewhere you can see a large area of the store and just watch what happens. I have always found when I do this, it doesn’t take long to identify patterns of activity and behavior. These are excellent sources of discussion materials. With your observations (both hearing and seeing) provide specific examples of real behaviors that you have first-hand knowledge of. It should lead to open discussions with the team that based in curiosity and not feel punitive.
Observing can be more subtle as well. Even when engaging in other activities or discussions, there are instances where continuing to watch and listen for other cues can become useful in the conversations about what is happening in a particular set of circumstances.
Matching styles
The observations will lead to having the right data to ensure you match your leadership style to the needs of the team and individuals you are working with. In the last article, we covered the importance of matching styles with the needs of those you serve. Mismatching can lead to frustration, anger, lost productivity, and disengagement. Having a set of agreed upon goals, and then observing actual behaviors can lead to an informed assessment to assist in supporting ongoing success, or course correcting someone that may be falling short of the established goals.
Through your observations, you should be able to determine the comfort level by which the employee is performing the activities — this connects to both the competence, as well as, the commitment. Are they confidently performing the activities? Do they seem energized by it? In time, and with practice you, as a leader, will also become more competent and committed to the practice of observing and matching the correct style of leadership for the context in which your team members find themselves in.
A situational leadership mindset
The above can be a ‘step process’ or they can be guidance towards a process that works for you. Built in the right situational leadership mindset, I believe you will lean towards guidance, so you can define your own steps that connect yourself to your team and what they need. It is about having the right mindset for what you are setting out to accomplish. Rarely does an exact step-process work for things that have an infinite set of variables to consider. Think about the four mindset possibilities below and how that may impact the idea of goal setting, observations, and style matching.
Learner
Be open to new ideas and interested in learning different things. Invest energy in reading new points of view, innovating your experiences and your practices for the purpose of personal growth. This type of mindset can have lasting effects on how you lead your team and support them on their own development journey.
Curious
It is too bad that curiosity sometimes gets a bad rap. The adage of ‘curiosity killed the cat’ probably sticks with some people and discourages them from probing deeper or asking more questions. In leadership, those questions are life-blood for learning, growing, and problem-solving. Asking questions for the purpose of learning more about something is how growth is built, and usually is a two-way benefit for those involved.
Listening
Having a mindset rooted in learning or curiosity requires a mindset for listening as well. In order to learn, and to gain fresh perspective from being curious, you need to shut up and listen actively. Listening is where knowledge is transferred. And knowledge becomes the impetus for productive conversations about reaching goals and desired results. Listening leads to identifying root causes of problems, as well as successes. In either case, positive things will come from it. Listening is not just an activity, it has to be a mindset as well.
Follow up
Finally, all of these should lead to the next steps you will take. Follow up can feel like a bad word, almost like you’re checking up on someone, but it also means getting done what you commit to or know you need to do. It is as much about follow through as it is follow up. What action are you taking? Having a mindset with a bias for action will lead to change occurring.
It is possible to take the theory of situational leadership and put it into a practice that works for you. It is less about the exact words or steps, and more about utilizing the framework for how you lead your team. Furthermore, it is about having the right frame of mind to engage with individuals and their actions, so you can connect with them on defining their development path and encouraging them towards success. Done effectively, you and your team will see that leadership is not something you do to people, it is something you do with people.
How can you utilize the theory of situational leadership in the realities of your environment?
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