Leadership for Saints: Part 44

Good Leadership is Situational
by Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar

At which level of initiative should Brother Gray operate in his new assignment as ward mission leader? In reality, he will operate at all six levels of initiative, depending on which part of his assignment is addressed.

For example, he does not have the authority to call someone in his ward to serve as a ward missionary. But as ward mission leader, he certainly has the authority and responsibility to recommend to his bishop that someone receive such a call. He does not need to wait for instruction to meet weekly with the full-time missionaries assigned to his ward. In that part of his assignment, he should merely act independently but report routinely. 

Lack of mutual understanding on the expected levels of initiative is probably the most common cause for failure in a stewardship assignment. For many people, a natural inclination (because of humility or lack of confidence or a fear of over-stepping their authority) is to adopt a lower level of initiative than is necessary.

Remember: the effective leader takes the time to teach the steward and to clarify expectations. The leader should encourage the steward to lean toward initiative rather than toward inertia. After all, it’s easier to tame a tiger than to motivate a turtle. And if the leader does not initiate an early and specific discussion leading to an agreement on mutual expectations, the person receiving the assignment should initiate the discussion.

With this careful attention to mutual expectations, can you see how Brother Gray is placed on a path to success? At the very beginning, he is given the opportunity to ask questions and to express himself regarding expectations for his new assignment. He is given much, much more than a handshake and good wishes. He receives a motivating mission, complete with specifics on (1) desired results, (2) guidelines, (3) resources, (4) accountability, (5) linkages and (6) levels of initiative.  He can now proceed with confidence.  

“But wait a minute,” you may be thinking. “These are helpful principles and they certainly apply in some cases. But I’m working with people who have a wide range of experience. They have many different sets of skills. Some of them are already highly committed, while others clearly need motivating. Their testimonies of the gospel are at different levels of maturity. How can I lead such people with one set of principles?”

That’s the very point! True principles of delegation apply to every situation.

Please note: we are not suggesting that you apply the principles in a “cookie cutter” fashion, treating every individual precisely the same. In fact, an important principle to remember is that there is nothing as unequal as the equal treatment of unequals.

One of the practices that made the Savior so successful in his earthly ministry is that he “taught the one.” He carefully considered the individual needs of the person he was teaching. So must we use true principles to address the individual and personal needs of each person we are charged to lead. This principle of delegation combined with trust is vital in raising responsible and accountable children.

Situational Leadership

Like any good physician, the effective leader diagnoses before he prescribes. He carefully and prayerfully considers the situation at hand—the situation regarding the challenges of the work to be accomplished and the situation regarding the ability and readiness of the person being asked to do the work. In this sense, one size does not fit all.

Situational leadership honors the differences in people and accelerates the learning and growth of everyone involved. It also helps ensure that the work is accomplished in a way that meets expectations.

As an example of what we mean, take the case of Sister Ramos and Brother Walters. Sister Ramos, baptized only 18 months ago, is called as a Primary teacher. She is full of faith and enthusiasm and is eager to bless the children in her class.

Brother Walters, a less active high priest, is called to serve in the Young Men organization. He is very experienced in scouting (his new assignment), though his reliability in following through has been a bit shaky in the past.

So here we have two children of God called to do God’s work. They are the same in that both are precious in the Lord’s sight. But their circumstances and needs are different, so situational leadership is required.

Most people have peak performance potential. You just need to know “where they’re coming from” and meet them there. With situational leadership you are able to “teach the one” by applying a leadership style that meets the current needs of the person you want to bless.

One such leadership style is Directing. This is where you provide specific instructions and closely supervise task accomplishment.

With a Coaching leadership style, you continue to direct and closely supervise task accomplishment. You also explain your reasons for suggesting certain things, you solicit suggestions from the person you’re leading, and you honestly compliment progress.

In the Supporting leadership style you help and support the steward’s efforts and you share responsibility for decision making.

Finally, in the Delegating leadership style you turn over to the steward the responsibility for decision making and problem solving.

Bear in mind, there is no one best leadership style. The issue here is situational leadership. In other words, deciding which style is most appropriate for a given situation.

Another important thing to remember about situational leadership is that a person’s performance or achievement involves two key ingredients: competence and commitment. 

Competence is a combination of knowledge and skills. These can be gained from education, training, coaching, and/or experience.

Commitment is a combination of confidence and motivation.

Confidence is a measure of a person’s self-assuredness, a feeling of being able to do something well without much supervision. Motivation is a person’s interest in and enthusiasm for doing something well.

Quotes Worth Remembering

A point of mutual understanding is reached in the training process when the assignee commits him- or herself to do the job. If the training is well done and the communication is two-way, this commitment will be honest, deep, and realistic and will internalize the source of motivation or supervision from then on. – Stephen R. Covey

It is time for us to reflect and to think upon our situation, and to consider our ways and be wise. What do you want to do? – John Taylor

Note: The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted on Meridian are only a fraction of the contents of this 349-page book. To learn more about this ground-breaking book and to order copies, click here.