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Have you ever felt micromanaged by a leader? Or left high and dry because they didn't provide you with enough information to successfully do your job?
As a leader, it's important to understand different communication styles and how they impact the success and development of your team.
The Situational Learning approach by Ken Blanchard explores 4 leadership communication styles :
Directing
Supporting
Coaching
Delegating
Know how to use each style and when it's appropriate!
Directing
Leadership Style — High direction and low support.
Leaders who direct:
Teach often
Set clear expectations
Check in frequently
Learning Stage — Team members with low competence and high commitment.
Best suited for a beginner who is:
Excited
Inexperienced
Nervous
Supporting
Leadership Style — High direction and high support.
Leaders who support:
Support the learner's journey
Help problem-solve
Explain the whys behind processes and decision-making
Learning Stage — Team members with low to some competence and low commitment.
Best suited for the disillusioned learner who is:
Still learning
Overwhelmed
Frustrated
Quiz
Koa is a recent graduate who was just hired as a social media specialist for a consulting company. They are excited but nervous. What leadership communication style would best work for Koa?
Directing is the correct answer. Koa is an inexperienced new graduate excited for their new role. They will require frequent teaching and follow-ups to be successful in their role.
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Coaching
Leadership Style — Low direction and high support.
Leaders who coach:
Encourage
Ask how they can help
Create space for the learner to discover their own insights
Learning Stage — Team members with moderate to high competence and variable commitment.
Best suited for the capable/cautious performer who is:
Incentive driven
Sufficient in their role
Wavering
Delegating
Leadership Style — low direction and low support.
Leaders who delegate:
Trust their team member's choices
Challenge them to grow
Acknowledge their team's contributions to the business
Learning Stage — Team members with high competence and high commitment.
Best suited for the independent expert who is:
Tenured in their role
Efficient
Confident
Quiz
Jaida is a software engineer working for a tech company the past 5 years. Her team often comes to her for support. She is applying for a senior position. What leadership communication style would suit Jaida?
Delegating is the correct answer. Jaida is an expert and seen as a source of support from her peers. She is competent and committed. She requires low direction and support, rather needs to be challenged to higher performance and rewarded for her contributions to her team.
Take Action
Adapting your leadership communication style to suit the specific learning stages of your team can elevate their experience, team morale, and business success.
This Byte has been authored by
Sierra Biase
lululemon Key Leader