Situational Leadership helped me save a superstar

I was leading a team of ten QA's. Most were high performers, and we had a wonderful team vibe. Super proud as this was the first team I had ever led, hired and grown. Fun to think back that it started with just one direct report. I literally knew nothing about leadership back then. 🫠

The Situational Leadership II model taught me about four leadership styles: Directing, Coaching, Supporting and Delegating.

At the time, I was dealing with a tricky team member. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't connect with them — to help them become the best they could be in their work context. I reckon I spent about 60–70% of my time working with this person. And this is where Situational Leadership helped, only just in time! I'd forgotten about my "super stars", those I thought only needed me to apply the "Delegating" part of the model.

There's always this risk that you assume the folks who can just "get stuff done" without any — or a teeny tiny bit of — intervention are ok and enjoying what they do. One team member was close to leaving, the danger of someone not getting much attention because they were so good at their job. Fortunately for me, the team and company, they didn't leave.

Luckily, I remembered from my training that this can be a risk for anyone who has the "Delegating" style mostly applied to them.