16
SJ Scenarios
4
Leadership Styles
4
Dev Levels (D1–D4)
8–12
Minutes
85+
Organisations
The Four Leadership Styles
One leader. Four ways to lead.
The most effective leaders aren’t locked into one style — they flex to match exactly what each person needs at each moment.
S1 · Directing
Directing
Telling · Guiding
High Task · Low Relationship
Define the what, when and how. Step-by-step instructions with close monitoring. Most effective with new, enthusiastic followers who lack experience.
Best Match
D1 Enthusiastic Beginner
“Here is exactly what I need you to do, and here is how. Check in with me after every step.”
S2 · Coaching
Coaching
Selling · Explaining
High Task · High Relationship
Directs with explanation. Invites questions. Builds confidence while maintaining structure. For developing followers who are losing motivation.
Best Match
D2 Disillusioned Learner
“I’ll give you clear direction — but tell me where you’re getting stuck. What part feels unclear?”
S3 · Supporting
Supporting
Participating · Facilitating
Low Task · High Relationship
The follower drives; the leader facilitates. Decision-making is shared. Best for technically capable followers who lack confidence to act without reassurance.
Best Match
D3 Capable but Cautious
“You’ve done this before and done it well. What’s your instinct? I’ll back whatever you decide.”
S4 · Delegating
Delegating
Empowering · Observing
Low Task · Low Relationship
Follower owns the task fully. Define the outcome, set accountability, monitor at milestones only. Over-managing D4 followers is a major retention risk.
Best Match
D4 Self-Reliant Achiever
“I know you’ve got this. Here’s the outcome and timeline. Come to me if you hit a wall.”
The Four Follower Development Levels
Read the person. Then choose the style.
Every follower moves through development levels — sometimes within a single project. Misreading the level is the most common and costliest leadership error.
D1 · Enthusiastic Beginner
High Enthusiasm,
Low Competence
Low Competence
→ Needs S1 Directing
Eager but inexperienced. May not know what they don’t know. Often over-confident. Needs clear structure and close feedback.
D2 · Disillusioned Learner
Some Skills,
Low Motivation
Low Motivation
→ Needs S2 Coaching
Hit the reality gap — frustration is high. Without support, they disengage or leave. The silent D2 is your most at-risk team member.
D3 · Capable but Cautious
High Competence,
Variable Confidence
Variable Confidence
→ Needs S3 Supporting
Technically excellent but seeks reassurance. Treated as D4 will signal abandonment, not trust. Needs confidence affirmed, not direction given.
D4 · Self-Reliant Achiever
High Competence,
High Motivation
High Motivation
→ Needs S4 Delegating
Expert and self-motivated. Over-managing them is a retention risk. Lose D4 talent through micromanagement and your leadership credibility goes with them.
Style–Level Match Matrix
Apply the wrong style to the wrong level and you either frustrate your best performers or abandon your most vulnerable ones.
Leader Style
Follower Level
Competence
Commitment
S1
Directing
High Task · Low Rel
D1
Enthusiastic Beginner
LOW
HIGH
S2
Coaching
High Task · High Rel
D2
Disillusioned Learner
SOME
LOW
S3
Supporting
Low Task · High Rel
D3
Capable but Cautious
HIGH
VARIABLE
S4
Delegating
Low Task · Low Rel
D4
Self-Reliant Achiever
HIGH
HIGH
What You Get
A report that changes how you lead tomorrow.
The AXIS360 SL report doesn’t just tell you your dominant style — it tells you the cost of overusing it, when to flex, and exactly what to say to each of your four development-level team members.
Dominant Style Report
Your primary and secondary style with % distribution across 16 scenarios
Flexibility Index
0–10 score measuring your ability to range across all four styles appropriately
Over-use Risk Analysis
What your dominant style costs you when misapplied — the hidden leadership tax
AI Coaching Report
Personalised scripts for leading D1, D2, D3 and D4 followers — powered by Claude AI
90-Day Development Plan
Specific actions to expand your style range — one action per week for 12 weeks
Rahul Sharma
0
Flexibility Index
Style Distribution (16 scenarios)
S1 Directing
4
25%
S2 Coaching
8
50% ★
S3 Supporting
3
19%
S4 Delegating
1
6%
AI Coaching Insight
“Rahul’s dominant S2 style (50%) reflects a coaching orientation well-suited for developing talent — but his near-absence of S4 (6%) suggests he may be under-delegating to his expert team members, which creates bottlenecks and limits their growth…”
Use Cases
One assessment. Many applications.
New Manager Development
New managers default to what worked for them as individual contributors — usually Directing or Coaching. SL assessment identifies the style gap before it costs them their first team.
Leadership Coaching
The flexibility index is the most actionable data point a coach can use. It identifies exactly which style the leader avoids, and why. Three sessions focused on S3 or S4 development produces measurable change.
Team Leader Programmes
Deploy SL assessment at the start of a leadership programme to create a shared language. Every participant understands where they lead well — and where they inadvertently create problems.
HiPo Identification
High-potential leaders show a flexibility index above 7 — they can range across all four styles. Use SL as a readiness indicator for promotion or stretch assignment, not just IQ or performance rating.
Team Diagnostics
Map the collective leadership style of a management team. Identify if the team over-relies on Directing, avoids Supporting, or never reaches Delegating — a systemic risk for retention of senior talent.
360° Feedback
Combine self-reported SL with subordinate ratings on each style. The gap between how a leader thinks they lead and how their team experiences it is the most powerful development data available.
What Leaders Say
Trusted by India’s leading organisations
★★★★★
“The flexibility index was a revelation. I thought I was a good delegator — the report showed I defaulted to coaching with everyone. Three managers had been waiting for me to step back for months.”
Arun Pillai
VP Operations · Volvo India
★★★★★
“We used this across our entire middle management cohort of 38 people. The group analytics were extraordinary — we discovered as an organisation we were systematically under-delegating to our senior ICs.”
Kavitha Krishnamurthy
Head L&D · IBM India
★★★★★
“The S1/D1 vs S4/D4 framework finally gave my coaching clients a model they could apply on Monday morning. The AI scripts for each follower type are something I use in every session now.”
Dr. Pooja Nair
Executive Coach · ICF PCC · Bangalore
Pricing
Fair, transparent, accessible
Start with 5 free assessments. No credit card. Full platform access from day one.
Single Report
₹2,999
per assessment · single person
- Full Situational Leadership report
- Dominant + secondary style
- Flexibility index (0–10)
- Over-use risk analysis
- AI-written coaching narrative
- Candidate portal access
Most Popular
Team Plan
₹15,000
per month · up to 10 reports
- Everything in Single
- 90-day development plan
- Group analytics dashboard
- SL + EQ + DISC Combined
- 360° multi-rater SL feedback
- Priority email support
Enterprise
Custom
unlimited assessments
- Everything in Team
- Unlimited assessments
- White-label portal
- API access
- Facilitator guide included
- Dedicated CSM
FAQ
Everything you need to know
What is a Situational Leadership Assessment?
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A Situational Leadership Assessment measures a leader’s ability to flex their style across four approaches — S1 Directing, S2 Coaching, S3 Supporting and S4 Delegating — depending on the development level of their follower. The AXIS360 SL uses 16 situational judgment scenarios and produces a flexibility index, dominant style profile and AI-written coaching report.
What is the Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership model?
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The Hersey-Blanchard model defines 4 leadership styles matched to 4 follower development levels: S1 Directing for D1 Enthusiastic Beginners, S2 Coaching for D2 Disillusioned Learners, S3 Supporting for D3 Capable but Cautious followers, and S4 Delegating for D4 Self-Reliant Achievers. Effective leadership requires flexibility across all four — the goal is not a high score on any one style.
How much does a Situational Leadership Assessment cost in India?
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The AXIS360 SL Assessment starts at ₹2,999 per person. Team plans cover up to 10 assessments per month from ₹15,000. A free trial of 5 reports is available at assess.nonverbals.com — no credit card required.
How long does the assessment take?
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8–12 minutes. 16 situational judgment scenarios, each presenting a real workplace leadership situation with four response options. Reports are generated immediately on completion. Accessible from any device via a secure candidate portal link.
What is a good flexibility index score?
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A flexibility index above 7/10 indicates that a leader can range across all four styles appropriately. A score below 4 signals a strong default style that is likely being over-applied — particularly high-risk when that default is S1 (Directing) applied to expert D4 followers, or S4 (Delegating) applied to D1 newcomers.
How is AXIS360 different from other Situational Leadership tools?
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AXIS360 is the only Indian SL platform with AI-written personalised coaching reports, specific scripts for leading each development level, an over-use risk analysis, 90-day development plan, and integration with 6 other instruments (DISC, Competency, EQ, Big Five, IQ, Belbin) on a single login — at a fraction of the cost of licensed Hersey-Blanchard programmes.