ABSTRACT

The last two years have been a time of confusion, panic and fear within the workplace. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent “new normal” has highlighted the importance of leaders that are adaptive and flexible; along with being concerned for the well-being and development of their team members. There are several different leadership theories espoused by authors, business owners, managers, and academia. However, the most practical and useful leadership theory, especially during times of major change, is situational leadership.

The situational model is a developmental focused approach to leadership. In today’s corporate setting, it is not uncommon to hear co-workers and managers discuss what “type of leader” they are. The situational leader holds to no specific style, but rather adapts to the constantly changing landscape within the organization. There is no single tool or method that will work in every situation. Situational leadership allows a leader to build a high performing team that is strategic and able to meet challenges as they emerge. This project examines how situational leadership can be applied during the Covid-19 pandemic, in organizational life and how the author personally used it during her own leadership initiative.