Blog Post Summary: The post covers directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating leadership styles. It guides when to use each approach based on the team’s needs and abilities. Actionable advice, examples, and analysis demonstrate expertise in situational leadership. The conversational tone, transparent experiences, and practical takeaways aim to build reader trust and credibility.
Great leaders understand that their style needs to flex based on the situation. Adapting how you manage and motivate teams is critical to maximizing performance. This post guides directing, coaching, supporting, or delegating. You’ll learn to vary your approach so you lead in a way that empowers people to excel.
Match Your Style to the Team’s Needs
Leadership looks different depending on the team’s requirements. An experienced leader recognizes when to be hands-on and when to step back. Your style should align with the development level of the people you manage.
As a leader, you may need to:
- Direct – Provide specific instructions for inexperienced teams who need close guidance.
- Coach – Act as a mentor for those growing skills but needing support.
- Support – Empower competent teams to take the initiative while being available.
- Delegate – Hand off tasks and free yourself up for high-level work.
Consider where your team falls from being beginners to self-sufficient experts. Then, you should adapt your style to give them what they need to progress.
Directing Beginners Who Require Close Supervision
A directing style works best when leading new or inexperienced team members. These individuals need your hands-on guidance to perform tasks correctly and develop skills.
Reserved for new hires or those with low competence, being directive involves:
- Providing clear instructions on what to do and exactly how to do it.
- Closely supervise work and give input to correct mistakes.
- Establishing performance standards and expectations.
- Setting timelines and tracking progress.
- Giving frequent feedback on what is done well and what needs improvement.
The goal is to teach beginners by having them shadow an expert – you. Down the road, you’ll ease off directives as your abilities improve. But when starting, people appreciate close support to reduce missteps as they learn the ropes.
Directing well accelerates team member growth. But use it sparingly, only with those needing tight supervision. Also, explain the reason for the approach so it doesn’t feel condescending.
Coaching Developing Team Members
As your abilities strengthen, transition your style to a more collaborative coaching approach. Your team can now handle more tasks independently but still need questions answered or advice at times.
With coaching, you act as an advisor who provides input but empowers people to execute autonomously. Instead of mandating precisely what to do, offer guidance and feedback.
Coaching tactics include:
- Being available to respond to requests for assistance but letting people work freely.
- Asking questions to spur problem-solving vs. providing solutions.
- Reviewing work and giving recommendations, not demands.
- Praising successes and providing constructive criticism.
- Encouraging initiative and trusting people to handle more responsibilities.
This gives employees control of how they complete tasks to help them gain confidence. You simply provide support so they refine their skills and make smart decisions.
The most growth happens when you coach people just outside their comfort zone. That stretch assignment perspective accelerates their capabilities so they can take on bigger challenges.
Supporting Highly Competent Employees
With very experienced teams, exerting too much control stifles them. They want autonomy with minimal supervision. That’s when a supporting style works best.
People with advanced abilities have mastered their responsibilities. They come up with innovative ideas and solutions. Attempting to direct or even coach them interferes with their proven process.
Here’s how to lead self-starters by getting out of their way:
- Provide overall goals and resources then get out of the weeds of how they work.
- Make yourself available but default to trusting their approach rather than scrutinizing it.
- Ask for input to show you value their expertise. Implement suggestions when possible.
- Recognize outstanding outcomes publicly and often. Enable them to share knowledge.
- Define the end results you want then leave execution to them.
Support equates to empowering good people to do great work. Signal your confidence by minimizing supervision and maximizing autonomy. They’ll reward that freedom by exceeding expectations.
Delegating Tasks to Strong Solo Performers
Experienced individual contributors often thrive when given total ownership of projects. That’s when delegating leadership works perfectly. Hand off tasks fully so they can independently drive a body of work.
Effective delegation involves:
- Assigning projects based on interests and skill sets. Match appropriately challenging work to abilities.
- Providing enough background for them to understand objectives and context.
- Agreeing on scope, timelines, resources required, success metrics and reporting needs.
- Checking in occasionally on progress but trusting their process once delegated.
- Being available for advice if requested but not micromanaging.
- Recognizing a job well done after delegated work is complete.
The right match of employee to assignment leads to superior results when delegated. People given autonomy over their area of expertise almost always exceed expectations.
Adapt for the Situation, Not Just the Team
Along with adjusting your style based on the team’s capabilities, you must also consider the circumstances. Even highly competent groups need more direction during times of change or crisis.
Take into account things like:
- New processes or systems – Direct closely as people learn new workflows. Give clear guidance to build capability and confidence.
- High-stakes projects – Provide additional coaching to minimize missteps over empowerment.
- Restructuring – Support teams through uncertainty by being highly available to respond to concerns.
- Demand crises – Step in with directive leadership to triage the situation if usual methods fall behind.
So calibrate your style not just to the person but also to the situation. What does the team need from you right now? Then, adapt your approach accordingly.
Cascading Leadership for a Culture of Development
As a manager, your leadership of your direct reports influences their leadership. Like a stone dropped in water, your ripples spread. Make sure they are headed in the right direction.
When you adapt your style to match needs, you model effective situational leadership. You show that competent management requires paying attention and pivoting approaches accordingly.
Strive to create a culture of learning. Nurture growth by:
- Explain your leadership choices so others learn when to utilize each style.
- Encouraging management trainees to flex their approach as they build teams.
- Praising those who correctly adapt their methods to the circumstance and individual.
- Coaching your team on situational leadership so they can develop the habit.
Installing these behaviors throughout the organization builds an environment of support. Employees are motivated when managers match leadership style to needs.
Key Takeaways on Adapting Your Leadership Approach
- Assess your team’s requirements and developmental level, then align your style to provide what they need most.
- Direct beginners who need specific guidance to perform tasks correctly.
- Coach growing team members by advising and providing feedback to boost confidence.
- Support experts by getting out of their way so they can execute autonomously.
- Delegate full ownership of projects to capable solo contributors so they can drive results.
- Consider both the individual and the situation when deciding how directive or enabling to be.
- Model effective leadership adaptation so that behavior cascades through your organization.
Think about your own team. What style would serve them best right now to unlock their potential? How can you adjust your methods to provide that?
I welcome your thoughts and experiences on tweaking your leadership approach to empower people. What tactics have you found effective? When have you misjudged and used the wrong style for the circumstance? Please share your lessons learned so we can all sharpen our situational leadership skills.
Varying your leadership style based on team member capabilities and evolving scenarios accelerates development. Great leaders adapt how they direct, coach, support, and delegate. This empowers people to progress quickly from beginners to self-sufficient experts. Match your methods to needs and you’ll motivate others to achieve their highest potential.