Leadership trends come and go. One, though, that has staying power is the concept of situational leadership (Hersey and Blanchard). The bottom-line here is the leader’s ability to adjust her or his style of leadership based on the need of the moment.

Their eyes are on the individual, the team, the task, and the organization and they make moves accordingly. Another way to think about this is to ask: When do I need to lead from the front, the middle, or the back?

This is good common sense,  and it can be difficult to do as we’re often hard-wired for our favorite approaches.

Leading from the FRONT

• Tell
• Take charge
• Direct

Leading from the MIDDLE

• Collaborate
• Participate
• Co-create

Leading from the BACK

• Set parameters
• Delegate
• Let go

Effective leaders have adaptable approaches; one size does not and cannot fit all. So, when would these different leadership positions make sense? Here are a few questions to ask that might be helpful to gauge this:

Leading from the FRONT:

• Is there a need for you, the leader, to be more present or visible?
• Does the person or team lack experience, skill, or motivation?
• Does the person or team have a track record of not delivering?

Leading from the MIDDLE:

• Is there a benefit to the person or team if you, the leader, were to be more of an equal participant, joining in with the work but not overseeing and directing it all?
• How could it positively affect peoples’ professional growth if you were to let go more?
• What messages do you want to send to the person or team in this situation?

Leading from the BACK:

• Is the person or team high performing? (Typically, these people do not like to be “over-led.”)
• Is there a need or value for you, the leader, to take a backseat in this situation? Do you really need to be driving the ship this time and if not, why not?
• Does the person or the team need to learn to stand on their own in this instance? What would they gain from this?

There are definitely a lot more questions to ask here. But, moving from the front to the back, you can see that there’s an increasing progression of letting go. And for some leaders, this can be really tough to do as some of us are wired to take charge. And we’ve been rewarded for it!

What Gets in the Way of This? Anxiousness!

When we get increasingly anxious and stressed, we often very automatically kick into our stress behaviors. For you BirkmanÔ users, check out your Assertiveness scores. These can be very useful in helping us think about our tendencies toward Front, Middle, or Back. For some, taking over is our go-to. For others, they might tend to back off too much under stress.

How Intentional Can You Be?

So, can you make the appropriate adjustments? Here are a few final thoughts:

• Observe Yourself: Get up in the balcony and ask: What’s my typical go-to behavior? How often am I using it? When does it serve me well? When does over-use become detrimental?
• Regulate Yourself: What would “calming down” look like for you? What practices have helped you slow down more?
• Plan: I suggest that one way to calm down is to start planning for the optimal approach in key situations. Ask: What is needed from me, the leader, at this time to ensure optimal functioning from this person or the team?
• Make A Move: Begin to implement the plan. And you don’t have to go it alone. Seek out your boss or a trusted confidant.

Increasingly I’ve come to realize that leadership is like any other skill. It is something to be learned and practiced. We can build new muscles!