Page 156 · Module 06, Build Your Team · this screen continues that page
All 108 frameworksSituational Leadership
Lead each person the way they need to be led, not the way you prefer to lead
The prompt
Copy & paste readyLabelsReplace theseSwap the role below
Pro tip, from the book
The hardest Situational Leadership move is stepping back to Directing with someone you've been Delegating to when they've taken on a new challenge they're not yet ready for. Leaders resist this because it feels like demotion. Frame it as 'this is a new area let's work through it together' rather than a reversal of trust.
Who should run this prompt
Module role profileWho should advise on people and leadership decisions? Leadership decisions are the highest-leverage decisions in any organisation — and the hardest to get right because the stakes are human. The roles on this page bring the perspectives of people who have seen hundreds of teams succeed and fail. Use them before hiring, before giving difficult feedback, before restructuring, and before having the conversations you have been avoiding.
Choose any role to drop it into the prompt above. Only the highlighted opening clause changes — the rest of the prompt stays exactly as printed.
◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist◈ outside the organisation
How to make any role sharper
- Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
- Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
- Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.
Use this when
The problem it solvesYou lead everyone the same way. Some team members thrive under your style. Others seem disengaged, over-dependent, or frustrated. You're not sure whether to give more direction or more autonomy and you default to one regardless of the person.
How the framework works
From the printed pageDeveloped by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in 1969, Situational Leadership proposes that no single leadership style works for all people in all situations. Effective leadership adapts to two variables: the team member's Competence (knowledge and skill for the specific task) and Commitment (motivation and confidence). The four resulting styles are: Directing (high task, low support for low competence, high commitment), Coaching (high task, high support for some competence, variable commitment), Supporting (low task, high support for high competence, low confidence), and Delegating (low task, low support for high competence, high commitment).
The method, in four moves
Do these in orderAssess each team member on each task not overall. Someone can be 'Delegate' in one area and 'Direct' in another.
The most common mismatch: over-delegating to someone still in the Coaching stage.
Move people through the stages deliberately each stage requires a different conversation.
Use AI to prepare adjustments for a specific person on a specific task. Someone at "Delegate" on their core skill can still be at "Directing" on a brand- new task, reassess per task, not per person, or you'll either smother a strong performer or set up a beginner to fail.
Where the framework comes from
Paul Hersey & Ken Blanchard, Management of Organizational Behavior, 1969
Pairs well with
As printed with this frameworkModule 06 — Build Your Team
Build people who build the company leadership is the product.
12 frameworks, printed on pages 135–158.
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