Love Leadership
It is important to use the right management style, to give people what they need, when they need it, advises leadership expert Katherine Farnworth
Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership theory has been around a while but it is simple and effective, and appears in an excellent short story he wrote called ‘Leadership and the One Minute Manager’.
The theory uses four styles – directing, coaching, supporting and delegating, to increase competence, but also, commitment.
DIRECTING
Directing is ‘telling’ people what to do. Few questions are asked, the conversation is one way. This should not be a default management style, it can demotivate individuals, but is a legitimate management style when someone is a new starter, an experienced employee doing a new task in an urgent situation, or a ‘non-negotiable’ download, for example informing of a legal requirement. This style provides clarity and information to increase competence.
COACHING
It is important to ‘coach’ as soon as possible to engage the individual too. Coaching is asking open questions in a structured way to achieve a goal. It tests understanding too. As the individual answers the questions, the manager can feel confident the information has been understood, so ensure to be clear when directing. The individual is engaged too because they are involved, and feel heard. Remember, the person who speaks owns the task. If you are doing all the talking, you still own it. Coaching is a critical skill that distinguishes average managers from great managers, and encourages ownership.
SUPPORTING
Once we are reassured the individual has understood, move to ‘support’. Fewer open questions, more closed questions, just for clarification. The individual is competent, feels supported and valued, knowing they will soon be solely responsible once they are delegated, or empowered, to take full responsibility for the task. This process can be a collaborative and rewarding experience for all concerned, so you can hopefully enjoy your role of manager too.
DELEGATING
Be careful not to jump from directing to delegation. Sometimes managers can feel frustrated when mistakes still occur. It might be that the two important steps of coaching and support have been ignored.
Think about your team. You might not have any new starters, nor an experienced employee learning something new. Nor, are you in an urgent situation or needing to download a ‘non-negotiable’. The reality is that most managers can afford to ‘tell’ less, and need to focus on coaching and support to engage. Take the weight off your shoulders, and allow others to take responsibility. Most will thank you for it. It is a sign of trust. If you coach more, and empower your team to take responsibility for your ‘urgent’ tasks, you can focus on your ‘important tasks’ and long term results. This allows less reactive, and more proactive and strategic. It can also mean you keep your pipeline active. If you are then called away, go on holiday, or even promoted, enough people in your team have been developed to immediately step up, maintaining results, even in your absence.
