Managers need to adjust
their behavior depending
on each worker

Good managers adjust their behaviors to meet the demands of the various social situations they find in the workplace.

"Social situations" refer to influences on people's behaviors resulting from interactions with others in their day-to-day movements in their homes, workplaces, and community activities.

For example, in a workplace with cubicles rather than offices, loud neighbors who talk with friends on their phones can be a major distraction. They contribute to quite a different social situation than considerate workplace neighbors who carefully monitor their voice levels.

There are several models of leadership behavior that can help managers and supervisors deal with situational influences.

The model developed by Paul Hershey and Kenneth Blanchard is based on all possible answers to two questions. Supervisors ask, "Do my employees have the ability to do the task that I want them to undertake?" And they ask, "Do my employees understand the importance of the task and are they committed to putting out their best efforts?"

The first question refers to employee ability and the second to employee commitment.

IF THE ANSWERS to both questions are "no," then supervisors should engage in a leadership style that is both directive and supportive. This situation often arises with new hires. Supervisors need to oversee the training and mentoring of employees so that they acquire necessary skills.

In addition, they need to support and to motivate the employees so that they will work hard, for the benefit of the company, after they acquire the necessary skills.

If employees have the necessary skills but lack commitment to the task that the supervisor wants completed, one-on-one coaching sessions are often effective.

This situation often occurs with long-term employees who have lost some of their enthusiasm for their work.

During the coaching sessions, supervisors can communicate their feelings about the importance of the task and their confidence that the employees can be successful, if they put in the necessary time and effort.

If employees do not have the necessary skills but are highly committed, supervisors need to oversee programs that permit skill development. These can include on-the-job training, the encouragement of mentoring relationships, and off-site training where tuition is paid by the company.

A key element is that employees are motivated to work hard. They need to be told what to do so they can combine their newly acquired job skills with their positive motivation.

IF THE ANSWERS to both questions are "yes," indicating that employees are both skilled and committed, then supervisors can delegate. They can tell the employees what outcomes are desired -- for instance, specific production goals or the development of a program for maintaining customer loyalty. Then, supervisors can let the employees develop their own plans for achieving the goals. With this type of employee, supervisors can then turn their attention to workplace issues demanding more of their own hands-on effort.

Using this model, supervisors can adjust their behaviors and act differently toward their employees. In my experience, employees accept this differential treatment as long as supervisors communicate the reasons for their behavior.

Further, supervisors can explain that as employees grow with the organization and demonstrate both competence and commitment, more work will be delegated.

The successful completion of delegated tasks will lead to promotions.