Situational Leadership

Situational Leadership happens to be one the most common topics in an interview.I was speaking to a colleague of mine recently, who said that one the interview that he had for this job had some of this involved.He was asked how he would react to a situation of disagreementwith a co-worker over a project.He probably had a good answer(thats why hes got the office with a view i might add). Some people are fine if you just directly oppose them. Other people don't deal well with that, and you need to ask questions that get them to realize on their own why they are wrong.Most of my answers were this way, and towards the end of the interview someone in the room asked if I had received "situational leadership" training, because that is the approach I seemed to take. I have not. But I think he is right - I am a situational leader.New management fads come out every year. I always read up on them, but disagree with much of what they say. Many of these books always make management and leadership seem so simple, and imply that if you just focus on one thing (the fad) then you will be a great manager. I don't think that is true. Management and leadership are complex because people are complex. Rather than stick to one style or form, leaders should be able to analyze a situation and determine what type of response is best given the parties involved.I bring this up because I often get tired of seeing these fad books every year, and sometimes I think I should just quit reading all that crap. But now I see it in a little bit different light. Each fad, each style, each book, has some truths in it, and I try to go through it with an open mind and take away what is important. I'm building my own management and leadership philosophies that are difficult to put into words, but will (I hope) serve me well one day.