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PMP lesson · People & Team Leadership · Leading the team · lesson 1 of 4 · about 7 minutes

Leadership styles and sources of power

All approaches (agile emphasises servant leadership)Free preview
Goal: After this lesson you can choose a leadership style that fits the person and the situation, and recognise the five sources of power.

1The situation

One team, three people

On the robot cell, a new graduate engineer is nervous about her first PLC task. A mid-level technician knows the work but keeps checking every decision with you. And your senior controls engineer asks to lead the vision integration alone.

If you lead all three the same way, you will either suffocate the senior engineer or abandon the graduate.

Good leaders adapt their style to the person and the situation.

2Situational leadership

The right style depends on the person's competence and commitment for this task:

StyleWhat the leader doesFits
DirectingClear instructions, close follow-upNew, unsure people; emergencies
CoachingExplains why, asks questions, guides practiceLearning, some skill
SupportingEncourages, shares decisionsCapable but lacking confidence
DelegatingAgrees goals and boundaries, steps backCapable and committed
The same person may need different styles for different tasks. There is no single best style; match the style to the need.

3From direction to autonomy

DirectingCoachingSupportingDelegating New, unsure person or teamSome skill, still learningCapable, needs confidenceCapable and committed More directionMore autonomy
As capability and confidence grow, the leader gives more autonomy.

4How it looks on the exam

Exam-style question 1. A highly capable controls engineer, who has consistently delivered complex work on time, asks to take full responsibility for planning and executing a critical-path integration. What is the MOST appropriate leadership response?
A. Decline, since critical-path work should be led by the project manager
B. Delegate the integration with clearly agreed objectives, boundaries and checkpoints
C. Approve it but review every decision personally
D. Assign a more senior engineer and ask the requester to shadow
Show the answer and the decode
Answer: B.
In simple English
A capable, motivated engineer asks for responsibility.
What is the question really asking?
The right leadership style.
Key words / trigger
“highly capable … consistently delivered”
PMP logic
Capable and committed → delegate, with boundaries and checkpoints to manage the risk.
Why the wrong answer looks attractive
Reviewing every decision feels safe, but it is micromanagement.

5Remember this

Your memory card

  • Match the style to the person and the task: directing → coaching → supporting → delegating
  • Servant leadership is the agile default; directive in emergencies
  • Power: expert, referent (best) · reward · legitimate · punitive (last resort)
  • Delegate with objectives, boundaries and checkpoints
The full lesson in the PMCLEAR app also has:
  • the rest of the lesson (Other styles the exam mentions, Five sources of power)
  • a worked example
  • the common traps (wrong vs right)
  • 2 exam-style questions with the decode
  • a 3-question quick check
Open the full lesson → Create a free account
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