Leadership · judgement & practice01
Adair’s Action-Centred Leadership
Balance achievement, teamwork and individual development without pretending that each needs equal time every day.
John Adair3 min
The leadership collection
Lead with judgement.
Ten influential leadership models, explained through decisions, relationships and practical management. Understand the idea, its limits and how to use it.
Start with task, team and individual →
Compare purpose and clear expectations in the transformational and transactional guides. Use models as lenses for judgement, not fixed labels for people.
Choose a useful starting point.
| Model or framework | The question it helps explore |
|---|---|
| Adair | What needs attention: task, team or individual? |
| Situational leadership | How much direction and support does this task need? |
| Transformational | How do purpose and development support change? |
| Transactional | How do we make expectations and responses clear? |
| Lewin, Lippitt & White | Who should decide, participate or work autonomously? |
| Blake & Mouton | Are we attending to both people and results? |
| Goleman | Which behaviour fits the situation and its emotional demands? |
| Tannenbaum & Schmidt | Where are the boundaries of decision authority? |
| Servant leadership | Does support increase others’ capability and agency? |
| LMX | Who gets trust, information and opportunity? |
No matches. Try a broader term or clear the filters.
The ten leadership guides
Leadership · judgement & practice02
Situational leadership: Hersey, Blanchard and SLII
Adapt direction and support to a specific task while distinguishing the original model from Blanchard’s later version.
Paul Hersey3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice03
Transformational leadership
Connect meaningful direction with learning, individual development and credible everyday behaviour.
James MacGregor Burns3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice04
Transactional leadership
Use clear expectations and fair exchanges while distinguishing active management from waiting for failure.
James MacGregor Burns3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice05
Lewin, Lippitt and White’s leadership styles
Compare leader control, participation and hands-off behaviour without confusing autonomy with abandonment.
Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lippitt3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice06
Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid
Explore concern for people and concern for production as two dimensions, rather than a single trade-off.
Robert R. Blake3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice07
Goleman’s six leadership styles
Choose among direction, development, connection, participation, high standards and command with attention to their effects.
Daniel Goleman3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice08
Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s leadership continuum
Make the boundary between the manager’s authority and the team’s discretion explicit.
Robert Tannenbaum3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice09
Servant leadership
Prioritise the growth and agency of others while retaining clear standards and responsibility.
Robert K. Greenleaf3 min
Leadership · judgement & practice10
Leader–Member Exchange theory
Examine the quality and fairness of each leader–employee relationship, including access to opportunity.
George B. Graen3 min