Situational Leadership II: Diagnosing Your Development Level

I'm a D4 at Fake Surfing

I led a Situational Leadership II (SLII) workshop last week.
I always enjoy being present for the 'aha' moment that the attendees experience.
In fact, that's my fuel. I love facilitating an experience that is designed to trigger an 'a-ha' moment and then watching it happen.
But that's a post for another day.

Today, I want to discuss SLII - more specifically, I want to discuss Development Levels.

If I had known about this development model when I first started working (or even sooner), my life could have been a lot more productive.

The SLII model proposes that there are four development levels a person goes through when they learn a new goal, task or skill. The levels are defined by the amount of competence and commitment possessed by the person executing the task.

Wherever I have taught SLII - from India to Israel to Singapore to Japan to yes, even Texas - most people have learned to ride a bike. So, I use this as my example.

Growing up in my home, we were most likely to get our first bike as a Christmas present. We'd ask for a bike and our parents would say, "Maybe if you're good all year, Santa will bring you a bike for Christmas..."

So, we'd try to behave all year (and try to hide it when we didn't...) while looking forward to Christmas.

• D1 - On Christmas morning, I woke up and ran down the stairs to find a big (bicycle-size) box under the tree, with my name on it. I didn't want to eat breakfast. I ran upstairs and woke everyone up. I couldn't wait to get that box open. Though I had no idea how to ride a bike - I desperately wanted to ride it. My commitment was high. My competence was low. In the SLII model, I'm described as an Enthusiastic Beginner.
  
• D2 - I opened the box. I didn't care about my other presents or about seeing my siblings open their presents... I wanted to ride! You can probably guess what happened next.
  We got the bike assembled. I took it outside. I got on it.
  I headed down the driveway....
  And....
  Yep, I fell. I fell pretty hard, actually.
  Suddenly, my commitment fell to a lower level. I wasn't so keen to get back on the bike.
  Simultaneously, my competence had gone up a little. I didn't know it, but I had learned a few things about gravity, balance, brakes, and the sting of gravel.
  In the SLII model, I'm now described as a Disillusioned Learner.
  The bloom was off the proverbial rose.
• D3 - By spring, if you'd passed by the Hughes household, you'd have seen me riding in circles around the driveway. I could turn left, turn right, shift gears, stop. I could even pull a few 'wheelies'. I was enjoying myself. This was fun! My competence was quite high.
  You wouldn't have seen me leave the driveway, however. Riding in the road intimidated me. It didn't sound fun. In the driveway, sure, but not in the road. My commitment was variable.
  In the SLII model, I was a Capable, but Cautious Performer.
  
• D4 - By the summer, I was riding everywhere. In fact, my parents threatened to take my bike away a few times. I was having too much fun. Anyway, my competence was high and my commitment was high.
  I had reached the High Achiever stage.

This development model repeats throughout our life.

It doesn't matter if its going to college, becoming a parent, learning a language or sport, starting in your first job, or having sex for the first time (this is actually the best example - think about it). The pattern is predictable.

• D1 - You're excited to go try this new great thing. You've imagined how great it will be. What could go wrong?
• D2 - It's harder than you think. You're uncomfortable or embarrassed. You fail an early test of competence.
• D3 - You've adjusted your expectations and worked through the difficulties. You can do it now, but you're a little hesitant. You stick to the skills you know and don't take chances. You don't raise your hand and volunteer for new opportunities or difficult assignments.
• D4 - With perseverance, and hopefully a little help, you become confident. People now come to you for help. You make your own decisions or even take lead.

So, why is this model important?

We all have the same goal - we want to get from D1 to D4 as quickly and painlessly as possible.

But a D2 at Real Surfing...

Knowing the model will help us do that. Realizing that D2 is a normal stage that most people go through on most tasks is reassuring. It allows us to seek help.

Here's your homework - List three tasks, goals, or skills you're working on.
Pick a discrete task that be written as a procedure - not "I want to be an engineer" or "I'm managing a project".
Being an engineer or managing a project requires many tasks or skills, so pick a few of those - like 'learning boolean algebra' or 'creating a schedule for the project'.

Once you've written your tasks, diagnose your development level.
Is your competence high, medium, or low?

Is your commitment high, medium, or low?

Next week, I'll talk about getting the help you need (or giving the help someone else needs) to progress through the development model.

Links of Interest

• Ken Blanchard Companies - Situational Leadership II
• Leadership and the One Minute Manager
• Self-Leadership and the One Minute Manager
• The Leader Within