40 DC VELOCITY OCTOBER 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
basictraining
es encased in amber—not part of
an adaptable toolkit of behaviors
appropriate to evolving circumstances and the developmental stages of working teams.
This situational leadership thing is
not the slippery slope of situational
ethics; it is about being antenna-up
at all times to sense when to use
which leadership style to accomplish
a specific goal or objective.
In summary, new-century lead-
ers can choose and use one of four
behaviors:
b Directing (Telling): “If you want a
friend, get a dog!”
Art van Bodegraven may be reached at (614) 893-9414 or
avan@columbus.rr.com. You can read his blog at http://
blogs.dcvelocity.com/the_art_of_art/.
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b Coaching (Selling): “I’m in charge, and
I’m gonna do whatever it takes to help you
win!” (There’s that pesky coaching thing
again.)
b Supporting (Participating): “What else
do you need; what else can I do to give you
what you need to do what you know you
can do?”
At the risk of repeating an annoying
theme, this is not newly hatched New
Age touchy-feely fad-of-the-month stuff.
The U.S. military, notably the Army, is
teaching and using situational leadership.
Other entities are integrating it into their
leadership development programs.
The absolute master of the core techniques involved was the late Herb Brooks,
who coached (that word again) the U.S.
Olympic hockey team to its first win over
the USSR in 20 years. In case you’ve been
napping, that was 35 years ago at Lake
Placid.
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MILLENNIALS
For a testy Old Guard, who have a hard
time with changes in roles, relationships,
styles, and structures, it’s tempting to
point fingers at the latest indignity, the
arrival of the now-notorious millennial
generation in the workplace. A vocal contingent does not hesitate to criticize this
age group with a broad brush loaded with
anecdotal misperceptions. Not least is its
need for, expectation of, and appreciation
for developmental coaching.
Those who resent the worst of the new
wave often protest that they are not there
to act in loco parentis or to hold hands. But
no one actually expects that. What we all,
in 2015, expect is active coaching, recognition, respect, understanding and compassion, inclusion, and work that means
something.
It’s not a generational thing; it’s a human
thing—and has been for much longer
than martinets, straw bosses, sadists, and
bullies would like to believe.
