Situational Leadership Theory

Hersey and Blanchard developed the model in the late 1960s. It identifies four leadership styles along two dimensions — Directive Behaviour (task focus) and Supportive Behaviour (relationship focus): Telling/Directing (high directive, low supportive — for beginners with low competence but high enthusiasm), Selling/Coaching (high directive, high supportive — for disillusioned learners who have some competence but wavering commitment), Participating/Supporting (low directive, high supportive — for capable but uncertain performers), and Delegating (low directive, low supportive — for high-competence, high-commitment performers).

The key insight is that the same person may need different leadership at different tasks, and as they develop, the appropriate style shifts. A skilled leader diagnoses the development level accurately and flexes accordingly — neither micromanaging a capable expert nor abandoning a novice.