Situational Is Good
Having managed several retail stores as well as a small tech department, I can say from experience that one style does NOT fit all. People are all different. Some people respond to autocratic leadership, and others can be wound up and just go on their own. Managers that can't adjust will find that they have low productivity or high turn-over until they find enough employees who respond to their singular style.
Here's an example: At a computer store, I had two employees whom we'll call Jason and Dan. Jason was a very people-oriented salesperson. Dan was a very task-oriented salesperson. Both could sell because customers responded to their different styles. But at the close of the day, they both had the same duties.
I never had to do much to motivate Dan, and the less I hovered, the better job he would do. But if I did the same thing with Jason, nothing would get done - much less get done right - so I had to adjust. As much as it is against my nature, I found he did best when I would constantly follow up to keep him on task.
As an example of what NOT to do, when I went out of town for management training, I left Jason in charge (being the senior employee). But Jason tried to manage Dan like I had to manage Jason. When I got back, I had to put down a mutiny! Everyone was threatening to quit. I was able to straighten things out, but it goes to show you that you that one management style does not fit all employees.
