Leadership Style:Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory

Have you constantly had someone on your team who fails to complete a task? Have your ever experienced an employee who felt challenged by the task at hand? Sound familiar? How can a Leader manage this or any similar situation in the future? A Leader can try changing their Leadership Style. Luckily for Leaders, different leadership models exist to assist in similar, future occurrences. Today, I will write about The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory. First published in 1969, the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory states that leaders need to use different leadership styles for employees with different maturity levels. The style initially depends on the maturity of the team member, and then on the task. By applying this concept, leaders can place primary focus on the task at hand as well as relationships. The four styles Leaders can choose from include: 1) Directing- Leaders specifically explaining the task. 2) Selling- Leaders "sell" their members on the task at hand. 3) Participating- Leaders and member share the responsibilities (Leaders have confidence in the member's maturity). 4) Delegating- Leaders place responsibility on the member. After selecting your leadership style, you must determine employee "maturity levels," which can be defined as: M1– the member lacks the knowledge, skills, or confidence to work on their own. M2 – members might be willing to work on the task, but lack the skills to complete the task. M3- members are ready and willing to help with the task; they have more skills than the M2 group, but are still not confident in their abilities. M4 – members can work on their own; they have a high level of confidence and strong skills. They are committed to the task. In summary, first, distinguish the member's maturity and then select a leadership style that matches the person's maturity level. Praise Jesus, you can feel confident that if you match the accurate style with the correct maturity, you will have a task successfully and effectively completed, as well as an improved relationship with your member. Different leadership styles may be better suited for different individuals. For example, a member who is unmotivated and needs to accomplish a difficult task; may need continuous direction. Conversely, a motivated member who has skills and also needs to accomplish an arduous task will not need constant direction, and you can delegate a task to them in full confidence.