Framework 1: Situational Leadership for new managers

The core idea

Situational Leadership is a useful reminder that people need different kinds of support depending on their skill level, confidence, and context.

A new manager usually misses in one of two directions. They either over-manage capable people or under-support people who still need structure. This framework corrects both mistakes by forcing you to pay attention to the individual instead of clinging to one preferred style. Leadership gets better when curiosity beats habit.

How to use it in a 1:1

• Ask what the person is confident doing alone right now.
• Ask where they want more direction, coaching, or air cover.
• Adjust your style by topic, not by job title.
• Keep checking as the person grows, because the right level of support should change with them.

What it changes

The point is not to label a person forever. The point is to notice where they need direct instruction, where they need coaching, where they need autonomy, and where they need encouragement.

That makes the 1:1 more useful because the conversation starts matching the person. Good managers customise their approach. They do not confuse consistency with sameness. That matters even more when a team is dealing with change, because different people will need different kinds of support to work through the same moment well.

Common mistake

New managers often assume fairness means treating everyone the same. In practice, fairness usually means giving people what they need to do good work and grow.