What is Situational Leadership Styles? How Great Leaders Flex?

"I don’t micromanage. I hire good people and let them do their job," said Kevin, CEO of a fast-growing SaaS company.

"Interesting," replied Calvin, founder of a agency company. “I still check every pitch before it goes out. It takes longer, but I want to make sure the message is right.

Two CEOs. Two styles. Both successful and belive their way is best with them and their company.

Leadership is not fixed. It changes based on the situation. The way you lead your first ten people will not work for your next hundred.

That’s the essence of Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT)

This theory, introduced in the 1960s, says good leaders change their leadership style based on two things: how skilled the person is (competence), and how motivated or confident they are (commitment). Based on that, the leader can pick one of four styles.

Style 1: Directing (S1) – High Direction, Low Support

“Just tell me what to do.”

Imagine a new college graduate starting at a tech company.

They are ready to help, but they need clear lists, close guidance, and simple rules. At this point, the leader must be very involved: explain things clearly, watch the work closely, and keep everything organized.

This works well, but only for now. If done too much, it stops people from thinking for themselves, makes work slow, and kills new ideas. Some leaders make this mistake, they want to check every post on social media even when their team can do it, which makes the team bored and slow.

Style 2: Coaching (S2) – High Direction, High Support

“Let me show you how and why we do it this way.”

As that team member gains some skill but is not confident yet, the leader should shift to Coaching. This means the leader still gives direction, but also explains the “why” and gives encouragement.

For example, a CTO helps a junior developer understand code and grow their thinking. This builds both skill and confidence. But if the leader keeps correcting without giving real reasons or trust, it becomes micromanagement.

Style 3: Supporting (S3) – Low Direction, High Support

“You’ve got this. I’m here if you need me.”

Over time, the team member becomes more capable but may occasionally doubt their choices. The leader steps back from giving answers and focuses on listening, encouraging, and involving the person in decisions. Consider a product designer who just had a tough round of feedback. Their manager does not jump in with solutions but gives space to reflect, learn, and lead the next steps. This support builds ownership. On the flip side, withdrawing too quickly can leave the team feeling unsupported

Style 4: Delegating (S4) – Low Direction, Low Support

“You own this.”

When someone reaches both high skill and strong motivation, the leader moves into this stage. This is where trust is fully applied. Leaders give responsibility for results and check in only when needed.

At companies like Amazon, top teams handle complex projects independently. But even with high performers, delegation does not mean disappearing. If the person is not as ready as assumed, too much distance can lead to missed signals or failure

Development Levels: D1 to D4

To apply the model, leaders must assess the follower’s current state:

D1: Low competence, high commitment D2: Some competence, low/variable commitment D3: High competence, variable commitment D4: High competence, high commitment

The progression is not always linear. A senior developer might be D4 in frontend but D1 in machine learning. Situational Leadership requires ongoing diagnosis.

Limitations

• It assumes leaders can accurately assess competence and commitment (which can be subjective)
• It focuses mostly on task leadership, not broader vision or culture
• It does not prescribe what to do with teams of mixed readiness (though common practice is to adapt to the lowest or majority level)

Still, SLT offers a practical and flexible toolset, especially when paired with other frameworks like Emotional Intelligence or Transformational Leadership.

In Practice: From Chaos to Clarity

Imagine a CEO with a diverse team:

• She directs new interns with daily checklists
• Coaches junior engineers through their first architecture review
• Supports a burnt-out but talented PM with active listening and flexible workload
• Delegates full product launches to a senior lead who has repeatedly delivered

That’s not inconsistency. That’s Situational Leadership in motion.

As Peter Drucker famously put it:

“The situational leader ensures the right person is in the right place with the right approach.”

When mastered, this model gives leaders the confidence to flex, and the wisdom to know when.

When your leadership style fits the team member’s current stage: Directing for beginners, Coaching for learners, Supporting for capable but cautious, and Delegating for fully ready performers, you speed up development and increase performance.

Great leadership is about leading people based on what they need right now. That’s why Situational Leadership remains so useful, especially for C-levels and team builders.