January 16, 2018
The Ken Blanchard Situational Leadership II Model – A Tool for Leadership Excellence at Kansas State Research and Extension
This article was first published to promote the October 17 and 18, 2017 SLII workshop. It’s now modified to promote our second workshop scheduled for March 28 and 29.
"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.
Research shows that the No. 1 reason people quit their jobs is because of a poor boss or immediate supervisor. The Editors at Netscape state: “"People leave managers not companies...in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue," Gallup wrote in its survey findings. 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."”
Regardless of the level a leader has in an organization, establishing a vision for a team, group, or division within an organization is essential for creating a commonality of purpose and goals. 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," states: "For a department or team vision, it's possible to craft the vision as a team. Although the leader must have a sense of where he's going, it's important that he trusts and utilizes the knowledge and skills of the people on the team to get the best vision."
The SLII model is a good fit within Kansas 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. During the workshop, you will learn how your colleagues who attended the first workshop were able to immediately apply some of the skills learned.
"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 SLII Experience is a strategic and effective method for managing and developing people. In this program, you will learn a model and a set of tools that will help you:
Improve communication
Have quality conversations about performance and development
Develop self-reliance in your people
Leverage competence and commitment
Retain your most talented employees
Build trust and enhance your credibility
Achieve greater productivity from your team
Better understand the needs of your people
Provide a leadership style that meets their needs
Partner for maximum productivity and morale
Increase motivation, innovation, and creativity
Reduce tension
Help people be open to change and new ideas, and feel more empowered
Your learning journey will include a combination of self-study, virtual learning, and face-to-face training.
Face-to-Face LEARN session: (March 28)
Face-to-Face PRACTICE session: (March 29)
Workshop 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. You 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 your leadership skills and teach you how to support less experienced and more experienced agents, volunteers, and office professionals. In turn, they will learn how to create goal alignment and clear accountability for their direct reports and effectiveness in goal accomplishment.
"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. It’ll be this foundational framework that will allow for a solid leadership structure to emerge for all who attend this workshop.
Workshop participants will have a one-year access to the Ken Blanchard Portal. Contact your certified SLII trainer, Wayne Moore, for more details about the upcoming training.
Workshop Location and Enrollment Information
The workshop will be held at the Southeast Research & Extension Center located at 25092 Ness Rd., Parsons, Kansas.
To Register, simply send an email to Dr. Wayne Moore, clwayne@ksu.edu, no later than February 25, 2018, stating you’re registering for this training.
To make your payment, please send a check for $440 payable to KSU no later than March 16 to:
Sara Juenemann
Northwest Research and Extension Center
105 Experiment Farm Road
Colby, KS 67701-0786