August 29, 2017
The Ken Blanchard Situational Leadership II Model - A Tool for Leadership Excellence at K-State Research and Extension
“There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust” Klaus Balkenhol. The Ken Blanchard Situational Leadership II Model (SLII) embraces understanding and trust. Learn about SLII and how you may attend an upcoming workshop, or place your name on a waiting list for future workshops.
“A Gallup poll of more than 1 million employed U.S. workers concluded that the No. 1 reason people quit their jobs is because of a poor boss or immediate supervisor. ‘People leave managers not companies...in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue.’ The effect of poor management is widely felt. Gallup also determined that poorly managed work groups are on average 50 percent less productive and 44 percent less profitable than well-managed groups” (Netscape).
One mark of an effective manager is establishing a vision for a team, group, or division within an organization. This is essential for creating a commonality of purpose and goals, regardless of a leader’s level in an organization. Significant employee buy-in and high morale and passion emerge from a vision developed by team members. Ken Blanchard, in his book “Leading at a Higher Level,” stated that it’s possible for a department or team to craft a vision as a team. Although leaders must have a sense of where they are going, it's important that they trust and utilize the knowledge and skills of the people.
The SLII model is a good fit within K-State Research and Extension because of its servant leadership and situational leader focus along with a commonality of language used by both supervisor and supervisee. It impacts organizational vitality, clientele devotion, and high employee productivity.
“Situational leaders give their people exactly what they need, when they need it. They offer guidance, caring, and autonomy, and provide just the right amount of direction and support to help their team members succeed. They know how to develop competent, self-reliant contributors who deliver faster results for your organization” (Ken Blanchard Companies). SLII training provides great opportunity for an organizational leadership culture that is well understood and appreciated by Leaders, Agents, and Volunteers.
The first SLII pilot workshop is scheduled for October 17 and 18, and will be held in Hays at the Fort Hays University Student Union Building. Participants will learn the causes of a dysfunctionally connected workplace and the biggest leadership mistakes along with the top five things leaders fail to do. Workshop participants will learn specific SLII skills and how SLII leaders address employee needs. The functionality of an SLII App, the impact of more effective conversations, and best time spent on evaluation meetings will also be learned during valuable training exercises.
Situational Leadership® II teaches leaders how to listen and provide the right leadership style. It will build their leadership skills through learning how to support less experienced and more experienced Agents, Volunteers, and Office Professionals. In turn, they will learn how to create effective goal alignment and accomplishment as well as clear accountability for their direct reports.
“Situational Leadership® II (SLII®) is a model that teaches managers how to set clear goals, diagnose development levels, and determine the correct leadership style to bring out the best in people. It provides a foundational management framework” (Ken Blanchard). This foundational management framework will facilitate solid leadership structure growth for all workshop attendees.
Each training cohort, beginning with the October workshop, will have a one-year access to the Ken Blanchard Online Portal, and a private LinkedIn group will be formed to share questions and best practices. Contact your certified SLII trainer, Wayne Moore, for more details about the upcoming training as well as future training opportunities.