Situational Leadership

Dr. Paul Hersey developed the concept of Situational Leadership many years ago. The framework came from his experience with Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow and many other thought leaders he knew or studied in his academic and business career. He personally considers the concept to be nothing more than “common sense” presented in an organized fashion. www.situational.com

The beauty of Situaltional Leadership is that it focuses on “behavior” and is follower driven. Based on where the follower is, the level of willingness and ability, the leader takes the appropriate action.

In October of 2006 I spent a week with Dr. Hersey and his staff. In the past I have taught many management courses in various universities and often part of the course included a discussion of situational leadership. During my week of intense exposure and study of the model I gained a much greater appreciation for the value of the model and also enjoyed the personal time with Dr. Hersey.

As a former combat fighter pilot I especially appreciated using the movie, Twelve O’Clock High, as an illustration and case study to grasp a deeper understanding of leadership.