Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

the leader then monitors
and oversees their followers
closely. From a communication
perspective, these leaders usually
to make decisions and then
communicate them to their
followers. There tends to be
little to no dialogue about either
roles or tasks.
Coaching
Hersey and Blanchard’s second
type of leader is the coaching
leader. Coaching leaders still
set the basic roles and tasks that
need to be accomplished by
specific followers, but they allow
for input from their followers.
As such, the communication
between coaching leaders and
their followers tends to be more
interactive instead of one-way.
However, decisions about roles
and tasks still ultimately belong
to the leader.
High
Leader Supportive Behavior
Low
Delegating
Supporting
Coaching
Leader Directive Behavior
Directing
High
Supporting
Developed
Developing
Hersey and Blanchard’s third Figure 13. 2 Situational Leadership
type of leader is the supporting
leader. As a leader becomes more accustomed to a follower’s ability to accomplish tasks and take
responsibility for those tasks, a leader may become more supportive. A supporting leader allows
followers to make the day-to-day decisions related to getting tasks accomplished, but determining what
tasks need to be accomplished is a mutually agreed upon decision. In this case, the leader facilitates
rather than dictates the follower’s work.
Delegating
Hersey and Blanchard’s final type of leader is the delegating leader. The delegating leader and their
follower are mutually involved in the basic decision making and problem-solving processes. Still, the
ultimate control for accomplishing tasks is left up to the follower. Followers ultimately determine when
they need a leader’s support and how much support is needed. As you can see from Figure 13.2, these
relationships are ones that are considered highly developed and ultimately involve a level of trust on both
sides of the leader-follower relationship.
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