What do you learn during the Situational Leadership course?

During this in-depth day you learn to consciously adapt your leadership style to the employee, the task and the context. You work with the four styles of instructing, coaching, supporting and delegating. You learn to recognise levels of development, to switch without causing confusion and to steer on ownership. Afterwards you will have concrete tools to apply situational leadership straight away in your day-to-day practice.

How long does the situational leadership course take and what is the delivery format?

The Situational Leadership course consists of one in-depth day and is taught in a classroom setting. You work in a group led by an experienced trainer, alternating short bursts of theory with exercises, reflection and discussion of your own workplace situations. The classroom format also means you learn from the experiences of the other managers in the group.

What prior knowledge do you need for the Situational Leadership course?

For the Situational Leadership advanced day you need basic knowledge of and experience with leadership. This can be through the Leadership: the Foundation course or comparable practical experience in a leadership role. The course is intended for managers who want to sharpen their style, so you already have experience of managing employees.

Who is the situational leadership course suitable for?

The Situational Leadership course is intended for managers who have completed the fundamentals course or have comparable practical experience and want to sharpen their style. You will benefit from this in-depth day if you lead a team with varying levels of experience, want employees to become independent more quickly, or are looking for guidance on the question: when do I steer and when do I let go?

What is the difference between situational leadership and leadership in general?

Situational leadership means consciously adapting your style to the employee, the task and the context, instead of always using the same approach. You work with four styles: instructing, coaching, supporting and delegating. For each situation you choose the style that matches the employee's level of development. This prevents experienced people from being over-managed or newcomers from being given too little guidance.

Which leadership styles do you learn to apply during the Situational Leadership course?

You learn to apply four leadership styles: directing, coaching, supporting and delegating. For each style you discover what it involves, when to use it and how to put it into practice. You practise switching between styles based on the task, the employee's level of development and the context. That way you consciously match your approach to what someone needs at that moment.

How do I know whether situational leadership suits me better than a general coaching leadership course?

Coaching leadership focuses on one style: asking questions, giving space and allowing employees to grow through reflection. Situational leadership teaches you to apply four styles, namely instructing, coaching, supporting and delegating, and to switch consciously based on the task and the employee's development level. Choose situational leadership if you notice that the same approach produces varying results with different employees, or if you manage a team with widely differing levels of experience. Choose a pure coaching course if your employees are mainly experienced and independent and you want to deepen your conversation technique. This in-depth day is aimed at managers with basic experience who are looking for guidance on the question of when to direct and when to let go.

How does this in-depth day differ from reading a book about the Hersey and Blanchard model?

A book gives you the model: four styles (instructing, coaching, supporting, delegating) linked to four development levels of employees. That is where it stops. On this classroom-based in-depth day you practise with your own cases and receive direct feedback from the trainer and fellow participants. You learn in practice how to recognise signals in behaviour, how to switch without creating confusion, and how to communicate expectations clearly. That practice is what makes the difference. Most managers are familiar with the model, but remain stuck in their preferred style. A day of actively experimenting with other styles, under guidance, breaks that habit faster than self-study. A condition, though, is basic knowledge of or experience in leadership; this day builds on that.

How do you apply situational leadership in a hybrid team in which some employees are experienced and others are just starting out?

In a hybrid team with different levels of experience, you apply a different style to each employee and each task. For someone just starting out, directing or coaching works: you set clear boundaries and check in more often. For an experienced employee, delegating or supporting works: you give them room and are available as a sounding board. During the advanced day you practise assessing task maturity, motivation and competence for each situation. You learn to recognise signals in behaviour and results, and you practise switching without the team experiencing it as arbitrary. An important element is communicating clearly why you steer one person more closely and let go with another. This prevents confusion about expectations and allows you to build ownership consistently, even when the composition of your team changes.

What exactly do you take back to your work after this in-depth day, and how quickly can you apply it?

After the in-depth day you can get started straight away with concrete tools. During the course you work with your own workplace situations, so you translate what you learn directly to your own team. In practical terms this means: you can assess which style fits each employee and each task (directing, coaching, supporting or delegating), you recognise signs of task maturity in behaviour and results, and you hold more focused conversations about expectations and responsibility. The first application often takes place the following week, for example in a one-to-one or a team meeting. Becoming fully fluent in switching between styles takes longer, usually a few months of deliberate practice. Compared with simply studying a model, the course helps you progress faster because you practise with feedback and your own cases.

Does situational leadership also work if I mainly have a supportive or servant leadership style?

Yes. Situational leadership is not a replacement for your natural style, but a framework for switching more consciously. During the advanced day you work with four styles: directing, coaching, supporting and delegating. If your preference lies with supporting or delegating, you learn to recognise when an employee actually needs instruction or coaching, for example with a new task or a low level of task maturity. You practise assessing competence and motivation for each task, and communicating expectations clearly when you switch. The result is that you retain your strong side and expand your repertoire for situations in which letting go comes too early. The course is practice-oriented: you work with your own cases, so you apply it directly to your own team.

How does an advanced day on situational leadership compare with a longer leadership programme lasting several months?

An in-depth day and a longer programme serve different purposes. This in-depth day is a focused one-day intervention in which you work specifically on situational leadership: the four styles (directing, coaching, supporting, delegating), assessing development levels and switching deliberately between styles. You go home with concrete tools for your day-to-day practice. A longer programme running over several months usually covers a broader range of themes, such as developing a vision, team dynamics, conflict handling and personal leadership, with peer consultation and homework between sessions. Choose this in-depth day if you already have the fundamentals in place and want to go deeper into one specific model. Choose a longer programme if you want to develop your entire leadership repertoire and consider peer consultation over time important.

Leadership In-depth: Situational (1 day)

Name: Leadership in depth: situational
Price: 650.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

Not every employee calls for the same approach. On this in-depth day on situational leadership you sharpen your insight and practise switching consciously between styles. You are given concrete tools you can apply straight away in your day-to-day practice.

Description

In this classroom-based advanced course you will work on situational leadership. You will learn to consciously adapt your approach to the employee, the task and the context that calls for your style at that moment.

You explore the four leadership styles of instructing, coaching, supporting and delegating, and you practise recognising development levels within your team. You gain insight into your own preferred style and the pitfalls that come with it. You also work on communicating clearly about expectations and responsibility, so that you can switch smoothly without causing confusion.

The course is practical and interactive in design. Short explanations alternate with exercises, reflection and discussion of situations from your own working practice. This way you learn by doing and by experimenting with different approaches.

Topics

The basics of situational leadership and why a single fixed style falls short
The four styles: instructing, coaching, supporting and delegating
Recognising employees' development levels on the basis of competence and motivation
Switching between styles without creating confusion
Communicating clearly about expectations, roles and responsibilities
Giving feedback and addressing employees on behaviour and results
Steering towards ownership and gradually increasing independence
Recognising your own preferred style and pitfalls
Applying situational leadership to situations from your own practice

Result

After this advanced day you will more quickly recognise what an employee needs and consciously adapt your style accordingly. You will switch more easily between instructing, coaching, supporting and delegating. You will hold more focused conversations, make expectations clear and steer towards ownership without taking over tasks. You will have concrete tools to apply situational leadership directly in your day-to-day practice.

Target audience

This advanced day is intended for managers who already have the fundamentals in place or possess comparable basic knowledge. You want to sharpen your leadership style further and align it better with what your employees need at that moment. Think of team leaders, managers and project leaders who work with employees at different levels of experience and who want to switch more consciously between directing, coaching, supporting and delegating.

Teaching method

This in-depth day is practice-oriented and interactive. You alternate short explanations with exercises, reflection and discussion of your own situations. You learn by doing, observing and experimenting with different approaches.

Prior knowledge

You already have experience of leadership, for example through the Leadership: the Foundation course or through your day-to-day practice. No further prior knowledge is required. Your own situations and questions are the starting point during this advanced day.

In-company

Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.

Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.

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Language

The training is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer has a good command of English. English-language course material can be used. With a minimum enrolment of 3 participants, the training can also be given entirely in English.

Number of days:

1 day

Course times:

from 10 am to 5 pm

Study load:

7 hours

Education level:

This training is suitable for all levels.

Exemptions:

Exemptions do not apply to this course.

Preparation time:

No preparation time applies to this course.

Certificate:

At the end of the course, a certificate is issued as proof of participation.

The best training for you

At Learnit you will always find a course that takes you further. From (technical) IT skills to communication or personal leadership. You can also choose the training format that suits you best: a classroom course, a tailor-made course at your own office, an online course or an e-learning. We have the right course and the right format for everyone. Because learning in the way that suits you best delivers the best results.

Moving forward together

Taking a training course at Learnit means learning together. Together with your experienced trainer, together with your course group or together with your colleagues. And whether you take the training at home, at your office or at one of our training locations, we are always available to help you. To share our knowledge with you in a way that is genuinely useful to you. Getting further together through personal attention and understanding each other well; that is what we believe in.

Apply it directly in your work

Learning theory from a book that you can then hardly use in your work? Not at Learnit! Whichever training you take with us, you can put it to use at your workplace straight away. Because of the unique learning objectives you set together with the trainer at the start of the training. Because of the alternation between theory and (interactive) practical assignments. And by bringing the challenges you face in your daily work along to the training.