Situational Employeeship

How to Effectively Lead and Be Led in the 21st Century...

Until recent decades, leadership was very hierarchical. Hierarchical organizations are where people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority. In these systems, leadership and authority resembled a pyramid with all of the power at the top. The bottom portion of the pyramid is the general worker with little or no authority. However, the past decade or so has seen a flattening of the leadership and authority pyramid (although many organization remain hierarchical).
In "flatter" organizations, authority is spread around where even the lowest level of organizations are being given more and more authority to make decisions. The concepts of Employeeship are predicated on shared authority and decision making.

Many leaders struggle with giving their employees more authority and power. Much of the reservation of giving employees power and authority is because the person in power (leader, manager, or owner) is still responsible for the results and the "bottom line" regardless of who makes the decisions. This reservation is valid and makes the leadership process more complicated especially when the trend is to give employees more power. 

Ken Blanchard offers a solution to this leadership dilemma in Situational Leadership (SLII). A leader cannot lead every employee in the same way and the situation must be considered. Some employees are more experienced than others; some employees are more skilled than others; some projects are more difficult than others; and some projects have more consequences than others. SLII accounts for these variables. SLII suggests four leadership styles based upon the talent level of the employee and the difficulty of the project: direct, coach, support, and delegate. When the employer and employee understand this dynamic there is agreement, harmony, and synergy. If the difficulty of the project is above the skill or experience level of the employee there should be an expectation of a directing or coaching style. On-the-other-hand, a project should be delegated to a highly experienced and skilled employee. Delegation requires trust and an little risk.

For synergy and harmony, each style must be understood.

1. Directing is the basic and most fundamental leadership style. It is giving direction with close supervision. Directing is necessary when an employee is learning new tasks and procedures. Regardless of the employee level, directing is a necessary training function. The focus while directing is on learning the specific task as well as how the task fits into the mission of the company. Directing is about teaching and communication.
2. Coaching is allowing the employee to do tasks on their own with less direct supervision and is focused on increasing efficiency. Coaching is focused on encouraging and building the confidence of the employee. The coach (manager or employer) still signs off on the final project giving feedback as necessary.
3. Supporting uses support behavior to bring out the employee's skills around the task to be accomplished. The supportive style includes listening, praising, asking for input, and giving feedback. The employee is given day-to-day decisions, but the employer remains available to facilitate problem solving. They give recognition and support to the employee.
4. Delegating is often misunderstood by employers. Delegation is not getting employees to do things that they cannot do themselves. Stephen Covey in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People calls this "Gofer Delegation" where the leader tells their subordinate to go for this and go for that. Many also call this micro-managing. True delegation is, as Covey says, Stewardship Delegation. It is focused on the result, not the method. This delegation leaves the method up to the employee. Every task has boundaries. Boundaries are set by laws, standards, ethics, official processes and procedures, company processes and procedures, available resources, manpower, and a number of other sources. The employee to whom a task is delegated should be given the decision making authority to determine the best method for completing the task within the agreed upon boundaries. 

The employer shifts between leadership styles as the employee grows in experience, skill, confidence and gains the trust of the employer. The employee moves forward and backward along the developmental continuum, which represents the relative competence and commitment of the employee. For leaders to be effective, it is essential that they determine where the employees are on the developmental continuum and adapt there leadership style so they directly match their style to the employee development level.

"Employeeship" means that everyone working for a company are employees (including owners). As fellow employees and team members, they are all working for the success of the company. Employer and employee should know the four leadership styles and understand which style is appropriate for the situation and employee development level.

This blog is dedicated to development topics that will make you a better employee. Join the discussion. If you have a question, leave it in the comments section below. If you have a comment, leave it in the comment section below. If you have a suggestion for a topic, leave it in the comment section below.