Situational leadership, as the name implies, refers to leadership that’s contextual - that arises as the result of a certain situation. Often this situation represents some kind of crisis - a group gets lost, an earthquake strikes, or someone gets injured and in this situation everyone panicking is going to need someone to turn to; though sometimes of course the situation is something more mundane. The person that naturally emerges as leader in these situations is going to be the person that is best equipped to deal with that particular situation and that is situational leadership.

For example, imagine a person suffers a heart attack in a restaurant, as we all know from TV the thing to do next is to shout ‘is anyone here a doctor’. Then if there is a doctor present everyone will make way for them to their thing. Now the doctor is in a leadership position, and should he instruct someone to call an ambulance, bring them a knife or clear a table that’s what they’ll do. Similarly if a group of friends get lost and one of those friends happens to be from around the area - then that friend will emerge as leader and the others will turn to them to look for a way out. In other words in any scenario, the person most likely to be able to steer the group safely out of harm’s way is the person that will become leader. Of course however if someone has the knowledge but keeps it to themselves, or appears uncertain, then they still may not emerge as leader which is why confidence is equally important. Situational leadership is a natural response and has evolved to make sure we stand the best chance of survival in such dire situations - and in some extreme cases picking the correct leader for a group can mean the difference between life and death.

In some scenarios however there is no obvious expert. In some cases either no one knows about the required subject or there’s nothing that knowledge can do for anyone. In these cases how does situational leadership work? Well again it will still be the person who seems best equipped to deal with the scenario and this can often come down to one of two factors: either the person who appears the calmest and so most able to make rational decisions (this person will also seem as though they’re more likely to know a way out even if they do not) or the person who is physically the most impressive as strength can be useful in a variety of situations. Alternatively it may simply be the person who is most confident and speaks out the most who becomes leader - some people will shy away from that not wanting the responsibility while others will revel in the self-importance.

In such scenarios however it’s important to question why you are following a particular individual. Do they really hold the answers or is it just swagger? Just because they seem confident or are strong enough to push you around certainly doesn’t mean they should be in charge and it may be that someone else in the group knows more but isn’t speaking up. In fact it’s possible that it could be you…

Mack LeMouse

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