“In the past, a leader was a boss. Today’s leaders can no longer lead solely based on positional power.”- Ken Blanchard.
The world has drastically changed; what was once a one-way approach has now transformed into a cohesive work environment. The best organisations are inclusive. Leaders cannot simply function keeping the management or team solely in perspective; the role demands adapting to the situation and spontaneously acting as per the needs of the current business environment.
Situational leadership doesn’t require specific skillsets or qualifications; it requires making adjustments keeping the bigger picture in mind. Flexibility and adaptability are key factors where a leader must be dynamic rather than restricted to a ‘boss’ pattern of functioning. Organisations also need leaders with a perspective.
Some benefits of situational leadership are:
Promotes flexibility in an organisation:
Situational leadership values the importance of employee development. It helps in creating a comfortable and supportive working environment for employees. A leader encourages their team to go beyond set boundaries and provides them with opportunities to excel in their career.
Focus’ on the betterment of employees:
Situational leadership emphasises employee well-being and advancement. It creates a situation that allows employees to be comfortable with their job profile, making a healthy and efficient workspace with positive outcomes.
Keeps leadership duties in check:
A situational leader keeps a close eye on work output, improving performance, and implementing strategies for aligning the teams. They are always on their toes, implements processes, create friendly work policies, and streamline work structure. This leader has a deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation and strives to develop successful methods of reinforcement.
Promotes team-building activities:
The goal of a situational leader is to build a strong team that works together as a single unit. They organise open discussions ensuring an available podium for the team to share ideas and perspectives.
Situational leadership assures maximum output to a business and inspires teams to perform par excellence. These leaders are authoritative, take complete ownership of the task at hand, motivate teams to be self-reliant, give constructive feedback, and encourage team participation.
Practising situational leadership is a need of the hour for accomplishing all-around success.
– By Vrutika Dawda, Director, IdeateLabs