Dear Dr. Blanchard:
In a recent column you wrote about “competence” and “commitment,” which determine a leadership style. Can you expand and explain these two terms? – Thelma in Kansas City

Dear Thelma:
In order to be an effective manager, you need to evaluate a person’s performance by his or her competence and commitment. When subordinates are not performing as anticipated, it is most likely because they lack commitment or competence.

Competence is a function of knowledge and skills, which can be gained from education, training, and experience. A business-school graduate can be assumed to have a certain level of competence by virtue of having gained the appropriate number of credits for graduation. An individual with 10 years of marketing experience with a consumer packaged goods company can be expected to have a fairly strong level of competence in marketing.

Competence is not just another word for ability. People often use the word ability to mean potential. They talk about natural ability to describe why some people seem to be able to learn certain skills so easily. Competence, on the other hand, can be developed with appropriate direction and support. It’s not something you are born with, it’s learned.

Commitment is a combination of confidence and motivation. Confidence is a measure of one’s self-assuredness, a feeling of being able to do a task well without much supervision. Motivation, on the other hand, is a person’s interest in and enthusiasm for doing a task well.

Sales teams can have various combinations of competence and commitment. With high competence and commitment level, the manager should practice delegating. With high competence and variable commitment level, the manager should use a supporting method, including praising and listening. With some competence and low commitment, the manager should use a coaching method, including directing and supporting. And with low confidence and high commitment, the manager should use a directing method, including controlling and supervising.

With situational leadership, the manager’s job is to diagnose a subordinate’s level of competence and commitment. Once these two variables are defined, an appropriate leadership style can be adopted. As a person’s competence and commitment grows or changes, then a manager’s leadership style changes to correspond to the person’s needs. That’s what situational leadership is all about.