Re-drawing the situational leadership model

More and more these days I try to use experiential or "Right Brain" approaches in my coaching, in order to directly work at the limbic rather than neo-cortical level. But there are some 2x2 models I do use which actually fit this approach, because it is the visual message (rather than the analysis) in the model which is important and the visual speaks to the limbic.

So I was really pleased the other day to hit upon a way of re-drawing one of the very well-known 2x2 models (which I haven't used much up to now) so that it makes this visual impact. The model I'm talking about is the classic "Situational Leadership" model. To refresh your memory, it has axes for "Directive behaviour" (low to high) and "Supportive behaviour" (low to high) and shows the leadership style moving over time along a path from right to left through quadrants for Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating along a sort of humpbacked hill. Not much visual meaning for me in that!

So, for a client where I thought this was a very relevant model, I re-drew it with the emphasis on the person you are leading. I replaced "Directive behaviour" with "Competence" (the reason you do or don't need directive behaviour) and "Supportive behaviour" with "Confidence" (the reason you do or don't need supportive behaviour). The result is below.

You get the same quadrants and the same path, but re-positioned. This time it is a U-shaped curve, left to right, with an obvious visual link to the change curve. It's easy to see the obvious potential for backsliding if you simply re-explain rather than coach when things go wrong. And, best of all, if you draw a wavy water line, you illustrate perfectly the results of a sink or swim approach to delegation!