Your team members who have direct reports of their own may tend to lead and motivate their employees in a way that comes naturally to them and feels comfortable. This is understandable — but their natural leadership style won't always be the most effective approach. The best leaders recognize that there's no one "right" leadership style. Instead, they master a number of styles, and use different styles as needed depending on the situation.

Use these resources to lead a discussion with your team about what leadership styles they gravitate toward and how to adapt their style to each of their employees' developmental needs.

The discussion you have with your team will help them recognize when they're clinging to familiar leadership styles and know when to use a different style with a particular employee. By mastering the art of switching styles as needed, team members will maximize their direct reports' performance.

Working through this discussion guide can take up to 45 minutes. If you prefer a shorter 15- or 30-minute session, you may want to focus only on those concepts and activities most relevant to your situation.