In IT Ops, leadership isn't a personality trait. It's a response to the moment.

Some moments need a decision. One owner, one next step, one time check. Other moments require you to step back entirely and let the people closest to the problem breathe. Some need you to coach without stealing the wheel. And some need you to step back and clear blockers while someone else drives.

The mistake most leaders make isn't picking the wrong mode. It's not picking at all. They default to whatever feels comfortable. Usually, the mode that makes them feel useful, not the one the room actually needs.

Under pressure, that gap between what feels right and what is right gets expensive fast. Stakeholders pile in. Updates start looping. People talk over each other. Someone wants a timeline. Someone wants root cause. Someone wants reassurance. Ten voices, no control. And the leader is still in coaching mode when the room needed a decision three minutes ago.

I keep four modes simple on purpose. Direct: we need a decision, now. Shield: the team needs space, you manage the noise. Coach: the team is capable but stuck, ask the right question instead of giving the answer. Delegate: someone else should run this, not because you're weak but because they're closest to the problem.

The power isn't in the modes themselves. It's in choosing deliberately instead of defaulting.

If you lead in one mode all the time, you're not leading. You're performing.

External anchor: Situational leadership is a known pattern for a reason. Hersey and Blanchard formalised it decades ago, and the principle hasn't changed: different people and different situations require different leadership behaviour. What changes in ops is the speed. You might switch modes three times in a single incident call.

Field note: Ten seconds. That's all it takes to pick a mode before you speak. One pause, one deliberate choice, and the next 30 minutes of the call run differently. The room stops guessing. People focus.

This fails when leaders confuse delegation with disappearing. Stepping back without removing blockers and protecting the team from noise isn't delegation. It's abandonment. Delegate mode only works when you stay close enough to clear the path.

Before your next incident call, leadership update, or tense conversation, do a ten-second check.

Ask: What does this moment need? A decision, space, learning, or ownership?

Pick the mode. Say it out loud at the start of the call: "I'm going to run this in direct mode for ten minutes. One owner, one next step, then we regroup."

Re-check after 15 minutes. If the call is drifting, deliberately switch modes.

Which mode do you default to under pressure, and what does your team pay for it?

Allan

PS: Want the audio version? Listen to the Signal Drop here: [Spotify link]

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