Today’s executives lead under immense amounts of pressure to fulfill the demands of an era where business, societal, and environmental interests are closely intertwined.
While there has been much discussion on determining the most effective leadership style, today’s leaders recognize that there is no one best approach. Instead, they combine applicable principles from different leadership models in the context of their goals.
In this article, we will take a brief look at how situational leaders communicate. Similar to how the game tic-tac-toe was among our earliest understandings of strategic development and interaction, situational leaders use a “think-tact-toe” communication strategy, enabling them to lead in a more adaptable manner. This adaptability creates an environment where engagement, collaboration, growth, and productivity blossom.
What is Situational Leadership?
Initially introduced as the “Life Cycle Theory of Leadership” in the early 1970s, Drs. Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard developed what is currently known as the Situational Leadership Model.
According to this theory, there is no single “best” leadership style. Successful leaders are defined to be “those who can adapt their behavior to meet the demands of their unique situation”. In addition to their flexible response to different functions and tasks at hand, effective leaders are also able to adjust to the varying capability and willingness levels of those they are trying to lead.
Since its inception, situational leadership has gained vast popularity across businesses and organizations due to its intuitive appeal and general applicability.
The Voice of Situational Leaders
Regardless of leadership style, leadership voice holds significant sway over business and organizational outcomes. For situational leaders, they are able to tailor their messages, as well as the way they communicate based on who they are engaging and what they want to accomplish. Their flexible approach could be broadly summarized into three key concepts: “think”, “tact”, and “toe”.
Think: before saying anything, situational leaders think hard and think harder
Situational leaders are strategic. They consider the big picture and assess the ways through which they could effectively meet their objectives.
They also evaluate the skills, preparedness, and confidence of the individuals or groups they are interacting with in relation to various activities.
This combined understanding allows situational leaders to make an informed decision on what to do, how to get it done, who is best to help do it, and how to get them to do it.
As an example, suppose several tasks need to be accomplished at the same time. To maximize efficiency, a situational leader would tap their seasoned team members to handle more complex action items and adopt a “supportive” voice in communicating with them. This means the situational leader would give these members greater autonomy in how they go about their work, or engage them in collaborative conversations, as applicable.
Meanwhile, team members with less experience are assigned items that they are capable of handling. In communicating with them, a situational leader would use a more “directive” voice and give clear, structured instructions.
Tact: situational leaders speak to build up, not destroy
Situational leaders tend to have a deep understanding of various personalities, competence levels, and interpersonal dynamics. Hence, they know how to approach stakeholders individually, as well as collectively in times of triumph and conflict.
Since such leaders are able to meet those they interact with where they are at, situational leaders motivate, offer constructive feedback, and resolve issues firmly yet tactfully. This fosters two-way communication, strengthening the trust needed to boost overall productivity and forge lasting internal and external relations.
Toe: situational leaders are able to toe the line and still advocate for innovation
Through direct communication, situational leaders are able to set clear expectations on behavior, performance, as well as adherence to existing organizational and industrial policies and standards. This establishes a culture of accountability within their businesses and organizations, leading to better teamwork and improved employee performance and satisfaction.
Given their adaptability, situational leaders also recognize when there is a need for change to avoid stagnancy. Through open-dialogue, situational leaders cultivate a growth mindset within their teams, helping members increase creativity, embrace challenges, and drive innovation.
In terms of interacting with other leaders, their flexible communication skills position situational leaders to collaborate better with their peers, build stronger partnerships, as well as promote continuous development from the sharing of knowledge and best practices.
Are Situational Leaders Skilled Communicators?
Situational leaders are typically skilled communicators. Their enhanced emotional intelligence and active listening skills enable them to tailor their communication style at every level and situation.
Good communication is vital to exceptional leadership. However, the reality is not all leaders, situational or of other leadership styles, are effective communicators.
Developing one’s leadership voice takes a lot of time, experience, and intention. It is a lifelong journey that evolves to keep pace with the ever-changing global landscape. For this reason, executives benefit from working with strong communications partners to ensure that their messaging stays clear, relevant, authentic, and culturally sensitive.
To stay ahead of the game, leaders from all industries must see communications as a definite must-have, and not a nice-to-have.
REFERENCES:
Clayton, S. J., Remick, T., & Orr, E. (2022, June 9). Today’s CEOs Don’t Just Lead Companies.
They Lead Ecosystems. Harvard Business Review.https://hbr.org/2022/06/todays-ceos-
dont-just-lead-companies-they-lead-ecosystems
Shriver, E. (2023, June 8). The History of the Situational Leadership® Framework. Situational
Leadership® Management and Leadership Training.
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