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CHAPTER 3: CONTINGENCY APPROACHES 73
for the readiness level, such as their degree of education and skills, experience,
self-confi dence, and work attitudes.

Low Readiness Level When one or more followers exhibit very low
levels of readiness, the leader has to be very specifi c, “telling” fol-
As a leader, you can tell followers how to
lowers exactly what to do, how to do it, and when. For example, Action Memo
Phil Hagans owns two McDonald’s franchises in northeast Houston perform their tasks if they have few skills,

and gives many young workers their first job. He uses a telling little experience, or low self-confi dence. If
style regarding everything from how to dress to the correct way to followers have a moderate degree of skill
clean the grill, giving young workers the strong direction they need and show enthusiasm and willingness to
to develop to higher levels of skill and self-confi dence. 12 learn, provide direction but seek followers’

Moderate Readiness Level A selling leadership style works well input and explain your decisions.
when followers lack some education and experience for the job but
demonstrate confi dence, ability, interest, and willingness to learn.
With a selling style, the leader gives some direction but also seeks
input from and clarifi es tasks for followers rather than merely instructing how
tasks be performed. Kierstin Higgins, founder of Accommodations by Apple, a
small company that handles corporate relocations, fi nds the selling style appro-
priate for her young employees, who are very energetic and enthusiastic about
their jobs but have not yet gained a lot of experience. By seeking their input
and clarifying tasks, Higgins believes she helps her workers learn from the chal-
lenges they face rather than being frustrated by them. 13

High Readiness Level A participating style can be effective when followers have
the necessary education, skills, and experience, but they might be insecure in their
abilities and need some guidance from the leader. The leader can guide followers’
development and act as a resource for advice and assistance. An example of the
participating style is Eric Brevig, a visual-effects supervisor with Industrial Light
and Magic, who maximizes the creativity of artists and animators by encouraging
participation. Rather than telling people how to do their jobs, Brevig presents them
with a challenge and works with them to fi gure out the best way to meet it. 14

Very High Readiness Level The delegating style of leadership can be
effectively used when followers have very high levels of education,
As a leader, you can act as a resource
experience, and readiness to accept responsibility for their own Action Memo
task behavior. The leader provides a general goal and suffi cient to provide advice and assistance when
authority to do the tasks as followers see fi t. Highly educated pro-
experience, and responsibility. Delegate
fessionals such as lawyers, college professors, and social workers followers have a high level of skill,
would typically fall into this category. There are followers in almost responsibility for decisions and their
every organization who demonstrate high readiness. For example, implementation to followers who have very
many fast-food outlets have had great success hiring retirees for part- high levels of skill and positive attitudes.
time jobs. These older employees often have high levels of readiness
because of their vast experience and positive attitudes, and leaders can
effectively use a delegating style.
In summary, the telling style works best for followers who demon-
strate very low levels of readiness to take responsibility for their own task behavior,
the selling and participating styles are effective for followers with moderate-to-
high readiness, and the delegating style is appropriate for employees with very
high readiness.
This contingency model is easier to understand than Fiedler’s model be-
cause it focuses only on the characteristics of followers, not those of the larger