Adapted from the upcoming 'The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management' by Alan Murray, published by Harper Business.

    Leadership is less about your needs, and more about the needs of the people and the organization you are leading. Leadership styles are not something to be tried on like so many suits, to see which fits. Rather, they should be adapted to the particular demands of the situation, the particular requirements of the people involved and the particular challenges facing the organization.

    In the book 'Primal Leadership,' Daniel Goleman, who popularized the notion of 'Emotional Intelligence,' describes six different styles of leadership. The most effective leaders can move among these styles, adopting the one that meets the needs of the moment. They can all become part of the leader's repertoire.

    Visionary. This style is most appropriate when an organization needs a new direction. Its goal is to move people towards a new set of shared dreams. 'Visionary leaders articulate where a group is going, but not how it will get there setting people free to innovate, experiment, take calculated risks,' write Mr. Goleman and his coauthors.

    Coaching. This one-on-one style focuses on developing individuals, showing them how to improve their performance, and helping to connect their goals to the goals of the organization. Coaching works best, Mr. Goleman writes, 'with employees who show initiative and want more professional development.' But it can backfire if it's perceived as 'micromanaging' an employee, and undermines his or her self-confidence.

    Affiliative. This style emphasizes the importance of team work, and creates harmony in a group by connecting people to each other. Mr. Goleman argues this approach is particularly valuable 'when trying to heighten team harmony, increase morale, improve communication or repair broken trust in an organization.' But he warns against using it alone, since its emphasis on group praise can allow poor performance to go uncorrected. 'Employees may perceive,' he writes, 'that mediocrity is tolerated.'

    Democratic. This style draws on people's knowledge and skills, and creates a group commitment to the resulting goals. It works best when the direction the organization should take is unclear, and the leader needs to tap the collective wisdom of the group. Mr. Goleman warns that this consensus-building approach can be disastrous in times of crisis, when urgent events demand quick decisions.

    Pacesetting. In this style, the leader sets high standards for performance. He or she is 'obsessive about doing things better and faster, and asks the same of everyone.' But Mr. Goleman warns this style should be used sparingly, because it can undercut morale and make people feel as if they are failing. 'Our data shows that, more often than not, pacesetting poisons the climate,' he writes.

    Commanding. This is classic model of 'military' style leadership probably the most often used, but the least often effective. Because it rarely involves praise and frequently employs criticism, it undercuts morale and job satisfaction. Mr. Goleman argues it is only effective in a crisis, when an urgent turnaround is needed. Even the modern military has come to recognize its limited usefulness.

    當領導就是少考慮自身需求，多考慮你所領導的人和團隊的需求。領導風格不能像衣服一樣試來試去，看哪件合適。相反，它們應當適應具體形勢的需求、相關人等的要求以及整個團隊所面臨的挑戰。

    在《Primal Leadership》一書中，普及了“情商”概念的丹尼爾•戈爾曼(Daniel Goleman)描述了六種不同的領導風格。最具成效的領導人可以在這些風格之間轉換自如，采用最符合情勢需要的風格。這些風格都可能成為領導人傍身之技的一部分。

    遠見型。這種風格最適用于團隊需要新方向的時刻。其目的是讓人們朝著新的共同夢想前進。戈爾曼與合著者們在書中寫道，遠見型領導人會說明團隊前進的目標，但不會限定達到目標的方式，從而讓人們自由地去創新、實踐、承擔計劃中的風險。

    指導型。這種一對一的風格重點在于單獨培養人才，教他們如何改進自身表現，并幫助將他們的個人目標與團隊的目標聯系起來。戈爾曼寫道，指導型風格對于表現主動積極、想實現更多職業發展的員工最為有效。但如果這種風格被認為對員工管得太死，損害了員工的自信，則會適得其反。

    親和型。這種風格強調團隊合作的重要性，并通過讓人們彼此聯系來營造團隊中的和諧氣氛。戈爾曼認為，在試圖增加一個組織中的團隊和諧、提振士氣、加強溝通或修復受損的信任時，這種方法尤其有價值。但他警告說這種方法不能單獨使用，因為它注重對群體的褒揚，可能會致使表現不好的情況得不到糾正。他寫道，員工可能會認為平庸是可以容忍的。

    民主型。這種風格吸收人們的知識和技能，并就最終目標達成集 承諾。在團隊的發展方向未明、領導人需要大家群策群力的情況下，民主型領導風格最為有效。戈爾曼警告說，在出現危機的情況下，緊急的事態要求迅速作出決策，這種建立一致性的方法可能帶來災難性的后果。

    身先士卒型。這種風格的領導人會給工作表現設定很高的標準，很想更快、更好地完成任務，并且對每個人都同樣要求。但戈爾曼警告說，這種風格應當謹慎運用，因為它可能會打擊士氣，令員工覺得自己很失敗。戈爾曼寫道，我們的數據表明，領導一馬當先時常破壞氣氛。

    發號施令型。這就是“軍事化”領導風格的典型模式，可能也是最常用的，但也是最不容易收到成效的。因為這種風格很少表揚，然而經常批評，故而會打擊員工士氣和對工作的滿意度。戈爾曼說，這種風格只在出現危機、需要緊急扭轉事態時有效。就連現代的軍隊也已經認識到這種方法的效用有限。