Over the month of April, I’ve explored the four core styles of the Situational Leadership model:
Directing. Coaching. Supporting. Delegating.
Each with its purpose. Each with its power.
But leadership isn’t about picking a style and sticking to it.
It’s about knowing when to shift.
The most effective leaders aren’t locked into a single mode of operation. They don’t lead every person, task, or moment the same way. They read the work. They read the room. Most importantly, they read their people.
And they flex.
As Hersey and Blanchard put it:
“Effective leadership is task-relevant. The most successful leaders are those who adapt their style to the performance readiness of the individual or group they are attempting to lead.”
That insight is what makes the model timeless.
Why Situational Leadership Works
The Situational Leadership model, developed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey, offers a deceptively simple but powerful truth:
People need different things from their leaders depending on their experience, confidence, and readiness—for that task, in that moment.
Directing is high direction, low support. Ideal for someone brand-new to a role or task who needs clarity more than autonomy.
Coaching is high direction, high support. It works when someone has some skill but needs structure and encouragement to keep building.
Supporting is low direction, high support. It helps those who know what to do—but might hesitate to take full ownership.
Delegating is low direction, low support. It’s all about trust, autonomy, and letting people lead themselves.
There is no best style.
Only the best fit—for the moment, the task, the person.
Flexing in Real Time
Here’s the part no diagram shows you:
Most people don’t live in just one quadrant.
I once led a team member—let’s call her Sam—who had delivered on major projects and earned deep trust. When we launched a new client implementation, I started in Delegating mode. She had the track record. She had the trust.
But something was off. Her updates were too detailed. Her questions came with hesitation. Her confidence was flickering.
So I paused. Checked in. Shifted.
I moved into Coaching mode—offering more structure, more thinking space, more real-time alignment. Within two weeks, she was back in flow. Quality spiked. She re-owned the process.
We moved back into Delegating—together.
Later that same quarter, I pulled her into a brand-new internal redesign project. A different kind of challenge. Different context.
She didn’t need autonomy—she needed Directing.
Same person. Same quarter.
Three different leadership styles.
That’s what adaptive leadership looks like.
When Confidence Slips, So Should You
I had another team member—call him Ryan—who operated solidly in Delegating. High performer. Consistent. Trusted.
Then life happened. New baby. Family health issues. Exhaustion.
He didn’t announce it. He just started slipping. His timelines wobbled. His energy dropped. He was reacting instead of anticipating.
This wasn’t a performance issue. It was a capacity shift.
So I shifted, too.
We moved from Delegating to Supporting. I checked in more often, offered encouragement, made space for what he was carrying without pulling back trust. Eventually, things stabilized. We shifted again.
The performance returned—but so did the trust.
That’s what flexing looks like.
Not just adjusting to growth—but responding to life.
Real Leadership Lives Between the Labels
You can’t assume that someone thriving in Q1 won’t need support in Q2. You can’t assume that tenure means independence, or that a new hire always needs hand-holding.
Situational leadership means asking:
What does this person need from me right now?
What does the task require?
What’s getting in the way—and what would unlock progress?
And then:
You lead differently.
Intentionally.
The Micro-Moments That Matter
Most flexing doesn’t happen in big meetings or performance reviews.
It happens in the in-between.
That pause before answering a question: Will I direct—or coach?
That choice in a team meeting: Do I step in—or step back?
That moment in a 1:1: Do they need reassurance—or a challenge?
These aren’t major leadership moves.
But they’re the ones people remember.
They build trust.
They build confidence.
They make people feel seen.
One Employee, Many Styles
Readiness isn’t a personality trait—it’s a context. And leadership needs to flex across it.
I’ve had team members who thrived in Delegating for client work…
Needed Supporting for cross-functional meetings…
And required Coaching for their first time managing people.
All at once.
If we flatten our leadership into a one-size-fits-all approach, we lose the nuance that actually makes leadership work.
What to Watch For
The signals are often subtle—but they’re there.
A hesitant new hire who’s quietly capable? Start in Directing, but don’t stay there long.
A high performer who’s drifting? Don’t assume skill means confidence—Supporting may be the right move.
Someone asking for ownership? That’s a cue to Delegate—out loud.
And sometimes, the signal is you.
You’re defaulting to your comfort zone.
You’re stepping in too quickly—or not enough.
You’re avoiding 1:1s because “they’ve got it.
Flexing starts with self-awareness.
Try This
To lead with intention this quarter:
Map your team by task, not title.
Narrate your leadership moves.
Stretch in the opposite direction.
Final Thought
Flexing your style doesn’t make you inconsistent.
It makes you intentional.
It tells your team you’re paying attention.
That leadership isn’t a template.
It’s a relationship.
And sometimes the most transformational leadership move doesn’t happen in a strategy session or bold announcement.
It happens in a hallway.
In a quiet 1:1.
In a micro-moment—when you chose to lead differently because the moment called for it.
That’s adaptive leadership.
That’s where the real work begins.
And that’s the muscle that makes leaders unforgettable.
