If you want to apply situational leadership, it’s important to know what your natural style is first. Do you naturally lean toward S1 or are you more of an S4 type?

Go to this link to take the leadership style test.

Once you have completed the test, you will know which style is most dominant for you. It will also tell you which styles can be developed further so that all the styles can be applied on a situational basis. You don’t necessarily need a separate training course to do this. Start by identifying which (M) levels your employees are at and then consider which management style (S) best suits these. (Awareness is half the battle.) Bear in mind that employees usually continue to develop, so this will require you to continually adapt your style.

It can still be quite a challenge for leaders who have a naturally strong inclination toward S1 (more task-oriented and step-by-step guidance of employees) to switch to S4 and largely let go of the management of task-mature employees. Be sure to remember however that the wrong type of management can create tremendous frustration for the employee.