“Nearly every client I work with is experiencing the same thing—they’re trying to do more with less,” says Blanchard leadership expert Randy Conley. “Their managers have increased spans of control. They manage more people than they ever have in the past, and they're doing that in a constantly changing environment.
“Leadership these days is not for the faint of heart. It requires managers and leaders to up their game when it comes to their leadership skills. Leaders need to be much more flexible and agile in today's environment.”
That’s why, in the new revision of Blanchard’s SLII® learning design, there is such a big focus on helping leaders and managers be as effective as possible in the time they have available with their people.
Setting Priorities
Prioritization is also a challenge these days, says Conley.
“There's an old saying: ‘If everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent.’ Every task carries the same weight. If you're not clear where you're going, any path can seem like the right one.’
“As leaders, we need to help people sort through all the different priorities they are being asked to work with and collaboratively identify where to focus. I think sometimes when frontline team members are struggling with too many things on their plate, the primary cause might be a leader who hasn't really stepped in to help set priorities and clarify goals.
“Leaders have to be very specific on goals and very much in tune with how you're going to track them. That's a primary responsibility for a leader,” says Conley.
The Value of Structured Conversations
“With the situational approach we teach in our SLII® program, those work conversations start with the goals leaders and team members set together. What progress has been made toward those goals? What style of leadership does the team member need from the leader? Do they need more direction, more support? Are they getting exactly what they need?”
This is a very intentional conversation, says Conley.
“We need to be very structured about our communication in this constantly changing, geographically dispersed environment. We can’t afford to leave communication to chance or happenstance.”
Conley explains that the new learning design for SLII® also focuses on some issues prevalent in today’s work environment—such as burnout, for example.
“Some key elements of burnout can be addressed by looking at the term regression in the Blanchard model. When we talk about regression in terms of SLII®, it refers to someone moving backwards in their development level. Regression most commonly happens to individuals who are highly competent and highly committed in their work. It occurs when their commitment level—their confidence or motivation—drops. Perhaps it’s because they are bored, apathetic, or, especially these days, overwhelmed.
“The leader's job, when they notice someone regressing in their performance, is to intervene quickly before it becomes a problem—check in with the team member and discuss what’s happening.”
With its focus on structured performance-related conversations, the SLII® model allows managers and direct reports to use a shared language of competence and commitment to explore answers to questions such as:
· What's going on?
· What are you feeling?
· What are you experiencing?
· What can I do in terms of giving you the right kind of direction or support to get you back on track?
“This direction and support could look like any number of things,” says Conley. “It could simply be listening to the person’s concerns and providing some encouragement, or it could be removing obstacles that are in their way.
“In any case, it begins with the leader noticing the regression and having the skills and structure to address the situation with a check-in.”
On-the-Go Leadership Conversations
Conley says the SLII® model allows leaders to successfully have quick, on-the-go conversations with team members.
“The reality is that a lot of management happens outside of people sitting down and having structured conversations. More often than not, a team member sends a quick text that says ‘Do you have a minute to talk? May I ask you something?
“When both parties know the language of SLII®, they can talk in a shorthand code of development levels and leadership styles using five keywords we teach in SLII® as touchpoints. These touchpoints allow you to have much quicker conversations—you get to the point quicker and you get to resolution quicker. The five keywords are Goal, Competence, Commitment, Direction, and Support.”
· Goal: Refers to the specific objectives the individual is working on and wants to talk about, making it easy to clarify expectations and outcomes.
· Competence: Represents the team member’s skills or abilities related to the task. By talking about competence, leaders can quickly assess whether the individual needs more guidance or is capable of working independently.
· Commitment: A combination of confidence and motivation. When discussing commitment, leaders address how invested or motivated the person feels about the task and can identify any gaps in enthusiasm or confidence that may need attention.
· Direction: Refers to the amount of guidance and instruction needed. Using direction as a keyword helps leaders decide how hands-on or hands-off to be, depending on the development level of the team member.
· Support: Encompasses encouragement and resources to boost motivation and confidence. Talking about support allows leaders to explore what specific help the team member might need in order to succeed and feel empowered.
Conley explains that leaders and team members who can frame up conversations using an SLII® shorthand can have more productive conversations. This enables quicker decision making and resolution of challenges.
“As a leader, I don't have to guess what my team member needs from me in terms of a leadership style. They know what they need because they've diagnosed their own development level on a goal. When a person tells me exactly what they need from me, I can quickly give them what they need and we're both off and running again.”
An Effective, Human-Centered Approach
Some people might think of this as a dry, transactional approach to leadership. But Conley emphasizes this approach actually improves the human aspect of the relationship because the person looking for help is getting exactly what they need.
“Every person probably has had the experience at work where they go to their boss for help and leave the meeting feeling like they didn't get anything they needed. Perhaps they even feel more lost than when they walked in—more deflated, discouraged, or overwhelmed.
“With the SLII® approach, people come to their leader for some combination of direction or support and the leader delivers that.”
Conley says managers have three choices when interacting with their people:
· They can over-supervise the person by giving them more direction or support than they really need.
· They can under-supervise the person by not giving them enough direction or support.
· Or the best option—they can match their leadership style to what the person needs.
“When both parties know the language of SLII®, it’s much easier to match more often.”
The Leadership Flexibility Gap
One big challenge for leaders, according to Conley, is being able to effectively flex their style.
“Our research has consistently shown that, prior to SLII® training, 54% of managers can comfortably use only a single leadership style—either Directing, Coaching, Supporting, or Delegating.
“Most leaders are one-trick ponies. They use one style, and hope it fits what the person needs. That’s why so many work conversations go poorly—there’s a leadership flexibility gap.
“SLII® helps close that gap when leaders learn how to use a combination of directive behaviors and supportive behaviors. They learn to shift their leadership style to match the developmental needs of their people.”
Even a Nice Manager Needs to Be Flexible
Even managers who are known to be “nice” need to flex, says Conley.
“Most well-meaning managers tend to rely on a Coaching or a Supporting leadership style, both of which are very high on supportive behaviors. A lot of leaders can get away with that, because they're being nice. Not too many people are going to complain about having a boss who offers a lot of support.
“But leaders run into trouble with that approach when people are learning a new goal or a task where they need a lot of direction. If bosses are giving a lot of support, but not enough direction, people flounder. They can make a lot of mistakes, create a lot of rework, or waste a lot of time. They get frustrated because they're under-supervised.
“When people are experts at what they do, they like the support but they don't need a whole lot of it. What they really need are new challenges and growth opportunities.
“Being supportive is only half the equation. If a leader focuses on being nice instead of providing growth opportunities, it can lead to the regression that we talked about earlier.”
The Exponential Impact of Good Communication
Better management conversations have an exponential impact on organizational performance, says Conley. When a manager learns how to have better conversations, it improves their communication with direct reports and directly impacts the performance of each person.
“When a manager who attends SLII® goes back and uses this model and teaches it to their team members, it improves the effectiveness of the manager as well as the entire team because they are getting the direction and support they need.
“SLII® also improves a manager’s communication with their fellow managers, and even helps in managing up with senior leaders. It helps everyone communicate their own needs more effectively because they can self-diagnose.
“It’s great to be able to say to colleagues, ‘I appreciate you wanting me to do this task, but you’ve got to understand I've never done it before—so according to the SLII® model, I’m going to need some direction and support.’
“Integrating the model into your culture allows everyone to get better at prioritizing work, getting clarity, and asking for what they need in terms of direction and support.”
Empathy, Trust, and Psychological Safety
Better communication skills help increase levels of trust and empathy and provide a sense of psychological safety, says Conley.
“Working at the edge of our abilities in a fast-paced, ever-changing work environment can test the confidence and competence of just about anyone. When people have a leader who listens to their concerns, empathizes and understands where they are, and addresses their needs, it creates an environment of trust and psychological safety.
“Through repeated interactions, team members can see how much their manager cares about them. They understand their manager is making it okay for them to admit they need some direction on this or some support on that. Direct reports can trust that their manager is looking out for them and wanting them to improve their performance and develop their competence and commitment.”
Conley says, “I often think of SLII® as operationalizing a lot of these interpersonal dynamics. How do people determine if an environment is trusting, empathetic, and psychologically safe? It’s through demonstrated behavior.
“Most leaders are very well-intentioned. They want to do the right thing. But until they learn a different approach, Blanchard’s long-standing research shows they will most likely do what they know how to do—use just one style.
“That creates a big flexibility gap. And because the world is so complex and fast-moving, leaders need to be much more agile to close that gap. That means learning to use different styles beyond what they are comfortable with.
“Leaders build trust, express empathy, and create psychological safety through the behaviors they use as individuals. SLII® teaches people the right kind of behaviors to use in a leadership context to create that type of environment.”
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Would you like to learn more about creating agile, flexible leaders in your organization? Join us for a free webinar!
Increasing Leadership Flexibility and Agility with the New SLII®
Thursday, November 21, 2024
7:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
Empathetic leadership that is flexible and agile is critical to creating a work environment with high levels of trust, engagement, and performance. In this webinar, performance expert Randy Conley will share how leaders can increase their effectiveness by learning how to assess commitment, diagnose competence levels, and provide a matching leadership style.
Drawing on the foundational principles of SLII®—Blanchard’s time-honored performance management process used successfully by millions of leaders worldwide—Conley will share how Blanchard’s new learning design teaches leaders to flexibly adapt their style to the needs of remote teams, shifting roles, and diverse workforces.
Participants will explore four key concepts:
The Cost of Poor Leadership
• The importance of empathy, agility, and flexibility in leadership today
• The cost of poor leadership and lack of agility
The Need for Leadership Flexibility in Uncertain Times
• Changing Workplace Realities: How remote work, hybrid teams, and role shifts have transformed expectations of leadership
• The Leadership Flexibility Gap: Leaders often fall into one leadership style. Success today depends on adapting styles to meet individual team members’ needs.
How to Increase Leadership Agility and Empathy
• Overview of the SLII® Model: Addressing the flexibility gap and exploring the four leadership styles—Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating—which are matched to individual development levels
• Real-World Application: Case studies of how leaders have successfully adapted their style using SLII® to navigate remote teams, manage shifting responsibilities, and maintain high engagement
Diagnosing Development Levels and Providing Matching Leadership Styles
• Interactive Case Example: Diagnosing an employee’s development level and deciding which leadership style to apply
• Feedback and Discussion: Learning how to apply SLII® behaviors to specific leadership challenges
SLII® empowers leaders to manage in today's unpredictable environment. With leaders facing challenges such as remote work, shifting job roles, and diverse teams, the ability of SLII® to adapt leadership styles to individual needs is more important than ever. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to increase empathy, agility, and flexibility in your leadership skill set.
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