A511.3.3.RB_GowensBrianne-Directive and Supportive Behaviors

A511.3.3.RB_GowensBrianne

A511.3.3.RB - Directive and Supportive Behaviors

According to Blanchard (2008), “effective leaders adapt their style according to the development level of the people they are managing” (p. 19). In order for leaders to maximize their effectiveness, they must have several different approaches to leadership. The leader must show flexibility, changing and moulding their style for each situation in which they lead. Some situations require a leader to use a more directive approach, where followers are given clear goals and directions on how to achieve such goals (Northouse, 2016). Other situations demand a leader who uses two-way communication to show supportive behaviors (Northouse, 2016). I’d like to reflect on how I display supportive and directive behaviors in two different roles: (1) as a spouse, and (2) as a professional employee.

My role as a spouse is where I believe I show the most balanced mixture of the supportive and directive behaviors. In most situations, I take on a high directive and high supportive role (S2) (Northouse, 2016). In this role, I work with my spouse to gather information, but ultimately I make the decision on how we will proceed as a family. For example, when my husband and I are making decisions about our children, I typically take on a more directive attitude and he seems more comfortable following my lead. 

We recently discussed whether or not we should move my youngest daughter, Maggie, to a new day-care. Since her older sister, Elliot, had started attending primary school closer to our house, we thought it would be nice to have Maggie a little closer to home as well. I initiated the discussion and suggested that we do some research on the day-care options near our home. I assigned each of us tasks, which included: (1) making a list of all of the facilities in the area (his task), (2) researching their reviews on various websites (his task), (3) short listing the top choices (my task), and (4) contacting the shortlist to confirm availability (my task). Following the initial tasks, he and I discussed our findings. We showed strong two-way communication when I encouraged my husband to share the aspects of a facility that were most important to him and I did the same.

My role as a leader was highly supportive and communicative, but it also included a directive quality. Although we both have a strong level of commitment when it comes to parenting decisions, I seem to have more self-assuredness, which translates into my role as the supportive director (Blanchard, 2008). 

My leadership style changes slightly when it comes to my role as a professional employee. Although I am certainly a team player, I display more of a high directive and low supportive behavior, which aligns with Northouse’s (2016) S1 leadership level. I believe it’s possible for a good leader to be directive, while still being recognized as a part of the team. At work, I focus on ensuring that the team understands the goal and has clear instructions for how each member of the team is responsible for contributing to that goal. 

For example, in meetings where I am leading a group project, I always like to start with a presentation slide that says “what does success look like?”  I believe this helps people focus on what we are trying to achieve before the details of the project are even shared. Once I’ve shared the picture of success and walked through the details, I like to circle back to the first slide and start assigning tasks. According to Blanchard (2008), it’s important to provide clear instructions and timelines, but its also important to help each individual understand what it means to do a “good job.” 

I believe real strength as a leader depends on that leader’s ability and willingness to adapt their style to the team they lead in any given situation. The ability to recognize unique skills that people possess and evaluate how those skills can help accomplish the organizational goal will help a leader determine which style of leadership is right in any given situation. In my opinion, inflexibility and pride can be damaging to both the leader and the organization as a whole.

References

Blanchard, K. (2008). Leadership Excellence.  An integrative definition of leadership.  International Journal of Leadership Studies, 25(5), 19. 

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing.