Imagine a friend who is intensely motivated to climb Mount Everest, but they haven’t trained for it. In fact, they’ve never climbed a mountain. Would you expect them to reach the peak on their first try?
Now, imagine a friend who is a highly accomplished mountain climber but recently had their first child. Do you think they would be excited to leave home for a long trip and a treacherous climb?
The above analogies are meant to illustrate that individuals need some level of both ability and willingness to perform a task successfully. A person is “able” when they can perform a task at a sustained and acceptable level. A person is “willing” if they are confident, committed and motivated to perform the task.
If someone lacks ability or willingness, they can still perform a task well, but they’ll need support and direction to get there. It’s their leader’s job to determine their willingness and ability, what we call Performance Readiness®, so they can provide the right amount of direction and support.
At the Center for Leadership Studies (CLS), we provide a simple framework for leaders to assess an employee’s Performance Readiness® for individual tasks. From there, they can determine the best leadership style for the individual and the situation and effectively lead their performance.
Any employee, no matter their skill, knowledge or motivation level, can perform a task successfully if they’re given the right support and direction to do so. That means that leaders who understand how to gauge Performance Readiness® and adapt their leadership style accordingly are empowered to set up any employee for success and drive performance across their entire team. In this process, they meet employees exactly where they are and provide them with whatever they need to succeed, whether that be more direction, coaching, training or anything else.
For example, if an employee is struggling to learn how to use a new software, their leader may need to sit down with them and walk them through the process rather than leaving them to figure it out on their own. By providing hands-on guidance, the leader ensures the employee has the skills and knowledge to complete the task, driving their performance. They also show the team member that they can be trusted to provide the necessary resources to grow in their career and care about their development, other factors that contribute to employee motivation and high performance.
Sometimes, leaders struggle to pinpoint the root cause of performance challenges in employees. They might make the wrong assumption about a performance issue and be unaware that factors like unclear expectations or a lack of direction are causing an employee to feel confused, frustrated and unable or unwilling to perform a task well. When a leader doesn’t recognize what an employee truly needs, they’re more likely to make decisions that can lead to decreased performance, like assigning tasks when a team member isn’t ready for them.
Diagnosing Performance Readiness® is about uncovering the root cause of a performance issue with a specific task so leaders know where to focus to help the employee perform at their best.
The Situational Leadership® Model provides a framework for accurately diagnosing Performance Readiness® and driving performance in employees. It teaches leaders how to meet employees where they are by matching their leadership style to each person’s current Performance Readiness® level. It also creates a common language that both the leader and the worker can use to engage in meaningful conversations about performance needs.
According to the Situational Leadership® Model, there are four Performance Readiness® levels:
Leaders can assess Performance Readiness® by considering whether the person is currently completing a task well, which indicates their ability. They can gauge an employee’s willingness by asking them how they feel about the task and assessing their response.
Once the leader has diagnosed an employee’s Performance Readiness® for a task, they can match it to the corresponding leadership style. For example, an R1 would be matched with an S1 leadership style.
The different leadership styles include:
Since a person’s ability and willingness to complete a task are not static, it’s important for leaders to continually diagnose Performance Readiness®. That way, leaders can continue to provide the level of direction and support their team members need to proactively resolve underlying issues and maximize performance.
Not every person has the skill or motivation to climb a mountain on their own, but everyone has the potential to reach new heights. Your organization’s leaders can help each employee achieve greater performance by providing the support and direction they need to be successful. Our Situational Leadership® Essentials course teaches them how. Contact us today to get started!
