The Situational Leadership Model, Essay Example

Good leadership hinges on two differing factors: when to take charge and when to delegate. There is a fine line draw between acting on either side. Within these differing factors are also different types of leaders: emergent, situational, and true authentic leadership. An emergent leader inspires people to follow (MacFarland, 2013, para. 4). The situational leader, “identify the most important tasks, diagnose the readiness level of the followers, [and] decide the matching leadership style” (Blanchard & Hersey, 1996, p. 1). And finally the true authentic leader is a trailblazer who while supporting a team, integrates progressive strategy to get the job done.

Taking charge, or leadership that falls under the situational and most definitely the true authentic, is best used when the stakes are high. For instance, in a medical emergency in which a person’s life is in danger, it’s important to have an organized team that’s following the direction of one person. Thus, there are less mistakes being made as well as less confusion as to who has what job, and who needs to do what. A true authentic leader is called for during such an emergency.

This does not mean that one leadership style is more important than another, it merely means that leadership style is contingent upon the situation at hand. For instance, in a less chaotic atmosphere, or when an emergency isn’t at hand, it’s proper for the leader to delegate. During this situation, an emergent leader is needed. An emergent leader will put the best people on the job, and ensure that no one’s time is being wasted. Thus, a team of practitioners will be handed different jobs and within these jobs, different timeframes will be instated. For instance, post surgery patients will need rehabilitation and it’s up to the doctor to ensure that the physical therapists do their job, but not before an assessment can be done on the patient. After an assessment and after the rehab, then the leader must ensure there is follow up on the patient done by nurses or another member of the team.

References

Blanchard, K., & Hersey, P. (1996). The situational leadership model. Retrieved from http://greeks.cofc.edu/documents/The%20Situational%20Leadership%20Model.pdf

McFarland, M. (2014). Emergent leadership: the trait that smart, innovative companies seek out in employees. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/02/24/emergent