Occasionally,
a book is written that sums up something so obvious it clarifies much of what
we know and already do well.  At the same
time, it inspires us to strive to perfect those very same things.

Ken
Blanchard’s classic The One-Minute Manager developed some ideas about differing
management styles that continue to inform me in a variety of circumstances, not
just at work.  Read the following excerpt
from an article addressing Blanchard's ideas and think through its implications
on the entire recruitment, hiring, and training process of a new agent
hire. 

"Situational
leadership is a term developed by Ken Blanchard. As a situational leader you are
able to adapt your leadership style to fit the situation of your team member or
employee. This means you can deploy four different leadership styles depending
on the situation.

As you
assess which style is needed, you need to make a conscious choice about which
of your own behaviors is needed. With directive behavior, you provide
structure, control and close supervision for the people who need it. With
supportive behavior, you use praise and two-way communication to facilitate the
work of your team.

Blanchard
sees four leadership styles growing out of combinations of supportive and
directive behavior: directing style, coaching style, supporting style and
delegating style.

In 'directing' style, the emphasis is on control and close supervision of the
worker. In 'coaching' style, the leader provides more explanation of what the
job entails and solicits suggestions while still staying in control of the
situation. With 'supporting' style, there is a team approach between the leader
and follower with the leader emphasizing support of the follower rather than control.
Finally, in 'delegating' style, the leader turns over responsibility to the
worker.

When I
coach people on how to use Situational Leadership I usually talk to them about
their own evolution in their current organization. I usually say, 'During your
first week, how did you feel? You were likely excited and a little anxious. You
also wanted to know what you were expected to do and shown how to do it.' You
needed your supervisor to be using a ‘Directing’ leadership style.

Most of
us evolve in our careers from needing Directing leadership at the beginning and
then Coaching, then Supporting, and finally Delegating leadership when we
become experienced and reliable.

Of
course people develop at different rates and the Situational Leader needs to
know where each person is in their evolution in order to determine what type of
leadership they need. As Blanchard describes in his work, the level of a
person’s development is measured by assessing their ‘competence and commitment’.  

Competence
is the level of a person’s knowledge and skills as they relate to doing their
job. Commitment, on the other hand, is the level of the person’s confidence and
motivation. Most leaders find Commitment to be the most difficult to assess.

Success
in leadership comes when the leadership style is matched with the
characteristics of the follower. Problems
with leadership come when the leadership style does not fit the follower."

What struck me about the relevance of situational
leadership to the recruitment process is the evolution from the very first
contact. The recruiting professionals who are skilled at switching from one
style to another and back again quickly are most successful.  Why? 
The savviest recruits may need each style.

Also when the recruiting process is shared across
multiple roles in an organization, it is also important to pass this leadership
information on to others in chain of contact. 
This allows each new phone calll /interview to begin in the right framework rather
than backtracking and repeating what others have already done.

Question: What styles do you find yourself naturally
using the most? What relevance is it to be aware of these variations? 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.