Situational Leadership

Hersey and Blanchard built the model around direction and support

Hersey and Blanchard published their life cycle theory of leadership in 1969 and later renamed it situational leadership. The two authors eventually developed separate versions: Hersey's speaks of follower readiness, while Blanchard's SLII speaks of development level, a mix of competence and commitment.

Both versions rest on the same two dimensions. Directive behaviour means telling people what, how and when. Supportive behaviour means listening, encouraging and involving them in decisions. Combining the two gives four styles.

Leaders use it to match their style to the task, not the person

The practical value is in one question: for this task, what does this person need from me? A senior analyst may need delegating on financial models and directing on her first board presentation. Reading the task first stops you over-managing strong people and abandoning new ones.

It also gives managers a shared language for delegating as a manager, and a delegation matrix template makes the choice visible across a team.

Example: a new manager with a mixed team

Imagine a newly promoted manager in an FMCG company leading six people, two of them recent graduates from a national talent programme. Her instinct is to treat everyone the same. Using the model, she gives the graduates clear steps and frequent check-ins on customer reporting, asks her experienced planner to own the forecast outright, and spends supportive time with a capable colleague who has gone quiet since a reorganisation.

The evidence is mixed and the labels can stick

Situational leadership is easy to teach, but its predictions have had limited research support. A 2009 test of three versions of the theory found only partial support for its core prescriptions. Treat it as a useful prompt, not a law.

The commonest misuse is labelling people permanently, as if someone were a fixed level. Readiness changes with each task, and with pressure, so the style has to move too.