When I was in high school my drivers ed teacher was also my gym teacher. He told me that he reminded me of his daughter (apparently she had red hair too and we all look alike) and so he gave me special treatment. By that I mean if I did not want to change for gym that day because I “didn’t feel good” he let it go. When we had to take swimming lessons I was less than graceful. We had to swim from one end of the pool to another which was horrifying to me because I could not do anything more than doggy paddle. He let that go too and I barley had to do a lap. Then when I started to learn how to drive and had him as my instructor I would go thru stop signs and red lights. I think I scared him but he still passed me! With letting me slide through all of these occasions I believe that he was using the Middle-of-the-Road Management style.
This type of style takes people into consideration while still getting the work accomplished. However, it may put a little more emphasis on the persons needs over the work being done. In this case physical activity and learning to drive came second to what I wanted.
My teach cut me lots of slack. Was it fair? No. Did I take advantage of it. Yes. Could that happen in the particular type of management style more often than not? Yes. When you empathize with people to much they may see that as a weakness and take advantage of you. I think it is always best to understand people’s needs while still getting the job done.
References
Northouse,P.G (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed). Thousands Oaks:SAGE