Situational Leadership: The Impact of Followers on Leader Disposition

Analyzing internal leadership characteristics and personality traits are effective at understanding what defines a good leader but they “may only have an indirect relationship with leadership effectiveness. Leader behavior, however, appears to have a more direct relationship with a leader’s effectiveness” (Hughes, Ginnet, & Curphy, 2012 as cited by PSU WC, L5 p.3, 2022). Understanding “what leaders do and how they act” (PSU WC, L5 p.3, 2022) is essential to understanding what constitutes effective leadership. With that in mind, I would like to talk about a leadership theory that focuses on a vital piece of information that many other theories miss out on. As highlighted by the course modules a major issue with trait theory and skills theory is that we do not get to talk about the situation; the context of what occurs between follower and leader (PSU WC, L5 p.3, 2022). The situational approach to leadership as defined by the Northouse text “provides a model that suggests to leaders how they should behave based on the demands of a particular situation” (Northouse, p.216, 2021). In this way, they are indicating that the most effective leaders are leaders that are able to adapt to situations and change their leadership styles accordingly. In Blanchard’s model as described by the Northouse text, leadership is “composed of a directive and supportive dimension” (Northouse, p.218, 2021) and each one serves a purpose in motivating followers. The text indicates that effective leaders must be able to adapt and switch between these directive and supportive dimensions as the need requires to effectively motivate followers (Northouse, p.218, 2021). While the theory is sound and presents a solid argument it is more effective to relate the theory to a real world example of an effective situation leader: General George Patton.

General Patton had a very effective situational style of leadership. According to the book General Patton’s Principles for Life and Leadership by Porter B. Williamson (one of Patton’s staff officers) as cited by the website Firehouse, Patton believed in a flexible approach to leadership situations and to use active listening (“Firehouse”, 2005). According to Blanchard’s model as described by the Northouse text “to determine what is needed in a particular situation, leaders must evaluate their followers and assess how competent and committed the followers are to perform a given goal” (Northouse, p. 218, 2021). In relation to General Patton, his flexible approach to leadership and his active listening were two behaviors that allowed him to step back and analyze situations to determine the best way to proceed. Two very important principles of management that were highlighted by the website Firehouse as cited from the book General Patton’s Principles for Life and Leadership by Porter B. Williamson are his principle to first “get the facts, when making decisions” (“Firehouse”, 2005) and “use the input from your people” (“Firehouse”, 2005). These two principles are important because they showcase how effective he was at situational leadership. His core principle was to understand the situation before rushing to judgement or decision. By understanding the context of the situation and subsequently garnering the input and participation of his followers he is better equipped to adapt to the situation and find the proper solution (or reprimand). Likewise, he did not just practice situation leadership himself, he influenced the core foundations of the military.

According to the website Cleverism, General Patton “also produced several papers on military and war strategy. His core message was that in order to win a war, one must be focused on analyzing the situation. General Patton’s situational analysis became one of the foundations of the US Military’s preparations for action” (Luenendonk, 2020). In his papers he outlined a core strategy of situational leadership theory which “states that leadership and strategy must be flexible. If it’s necessary to change action and leadership style because the situation calls for it, then a good leader will be able to do so” (Luenendonk, 2020). This is a perfect example of a situational style of leadership as he understands the use of both the directive and supportive dimensions of motivating followers. Another huge example that showcases how aware he was of the supportive dimension was his principle of using “positive motivation” (“Firehouse, 2005). He used positive motivation to earn the trust of his followers/soldiers while also maintaining authority and discipline. This can be seen in a Inc. article where Porter B. Williamson, a former staff officer for Patton, goes on to say “I served with General George S. Patton Jr. No man served under Gen. Patton; he was always serving with us” (Power, 2014). Patton was by all accounts a volatile and authoritative leader but he was also well aware of how to use supportive dimensions to raise troop morale and instill loyalty and motivation in his soldiers.

Overall, General Patton represents a strong example of an effective situation leadership style. Many of the behaviors and principles that represented the core of his values are also represented in situational theory. One such example of this is his drive to garner his followers input in situations and try to reach a consensus as much as possible. Many people know Patton as a primarily authoritative leader who used more directive dimensions than supportive but those who worked closely with him understand that he was just as a capable of using supportive dimensions such as “asking for input, solving problems, praising others, (…) and listening” (Northouse, p.219, 2021). Many of these traits can be seen throughout the blog post indicating that he truly is an effective example of situational leadership. The style of situational leadership that Patton best represents would be the  high directive-high supportive “coaching style” of situational leadership (Northouse, p.219, 2021). This style of leadership requires the leader to “involve themselves with followers by giving encouragement and soliciting follower input. However, coaching is an extension of S1 in that it still requires the leader make the final decision” (Northouse, p. 219, 2021). This can accurately sum up Patton’s style of leadership as he was very proactive about collecting follower input but ultimately any decision that would be made would be made by him, and him alone.

References:

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2022). PSYCH 485 Lesson 5: Description of Style Approach Retrieved from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2177519/modules/items/33991687