Left to right as you look at photo: Tiffany LoCascio, chief operating officer of Lakeline Vision Source, Dr. Sorrenson’s practice, Lex Gillette, blind Olympian in the long jump, ROB Professional Editor Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, Eric Hammond, OD, Dr. Sorrenson’s son and practice partner, and Joel Hickerson, Dr. Sorrenson’s husband, part of the practice leadership team and Dr. Sorrenson’s partner in ownership of her practice’s building. Dr. Sorrenson says the leadership approach she uses depends on the needs of each situation she confronts.
Effective leadership styles for different situations
By Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO
March 5, 2025
I’ve been reading up on different leadership styles lately*, and it’s been interesting to dive into which ones work best in different situations.
What I’m seeing is that the most effective style really depends on the context.
I like to think about my own natural style and when it’s most effective—and when it might be better to adapt, step back or let someone else take the lead.
For instance, sometimes the leadership style of Eric Hammond, OD, my son and practice partner, fits better, or our chief operating officer’s approach is exactly what’s needed.
I thought it would be helpful to share what I found about some of the more common styles: authoritarian, democratic, coaching, affiliative, pace-setting and visionary.
Authoritarian Leadership: The Go-To for Crisis
Think back to COVID. Those early days were filled with uncertainty, fear and constantly changing protocols. It was a time when our team needed a leader who could make swift, confident decisions.
In moments like that, I leaned heavily on an authoritarian leadership style. I made calls quickly, knowing they wouldn’t please everyone, but they were necessary for safety and continuity.
Authoritarian leadership often gets a bad rap, but in situations requiring immediate, decisive action—especially when people’s health is on the line—having that authority and clarity makes all the difference. People needed to know that someone had a handle on things and could make informed decisions quickly.
My team may not have always loved it, but they trusted that I had done the research, was knowledgeable about what was going on and that I had their backs and was doing everything I could do for the business, our patients and for them. The negative of this style of leadership? It can limit team creativity and engagement if overused.
Democratic Leadership: Perfect for Process Improvement
Now, when it comes to fixing processes within the office—let’s say we’re overhauling our patient intake or insurance verification system—shifting to a more democratic style of leadership could be helpful.
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Change management is always a challenge, and involving the people who work within the systems every day makes a big difference. A democratic approach encourages team feedback, and everyone can feel like they have a say.
In the end, not only is the new process more likely to work smoothly, but the team is also more invested in making it successful. When employees are involved in creating solutions, they’re usually much more willing to adopt and stick with the changes.
I still think I have to use my natural authoritarian style to define what we are doing and make sure we are “whole-assing” the change.
The negative of this style of leadership? It’s not as efficient for fast decision-making, as gathering input takes time (and I am not always patient! :-)).
Coaching Leadership: Best for Employee Development
Every now and then, we run into individual issues with employees—maybe someone’s struggling with their work or maybe there’s a personal issue affecting their performance.
In these cases, a coaching style of leadership seems to be the way to go. Coaching isn’t about telling someone what to do, but helping them realize their own strengths, potential and solutions to problems.
Starting off the coaching with curiosity helps. You want to ask questions first before giving guidance. This type of leadership fosters growth and can really transform an employee’s performance and their sense of worth within the team.
I found that coaching builds trust and loyalty, and it’s a style that creates a stronger team over time. I wish I spent more time coaching as I think most of us would benefit from coaching/training our staff more, which would create more engaged employees and doctors.
The negative of this style of leadership? It requires a lot of time, patience and strong mentoring skills from the leader. (like I said, patience isn’t always my strong suit! :-))
Affiliative Leadership: Can be Great for Building Loyalty
An affiliative leader prioritizes emotional connections and harmony within the team. I would say that Dr. Hammond’s and our COO, Tiffany’s, natural leadership style incorporates this much more than mine does.
This style is focused on building relationships, resolving conflicts and creating a positive team culture. It’s often used to boost morale, address burnout or rebuild trust after a tough period.
The negative of this type of leadership? It can sometimes lead to leniency or lack of accountability if not balanced with clear expectations.
Pacesetting Leadership: Good for Quick Results
Pacesetting leaders set high standards and push everyone to meet their high standards. The leader expects the rest of the team to work as hard as they do. This can definitely result in quick, good results.
What is the negative of this type of leadership? It can lead to burnout, as it can emphasize achievement over well-being, leaving little room for work-life balance. This can create high staff turnover in an office.
Visionary Leadership: The Key to Long-Term Success
Then there’s the big picture—creating long-term success for the practice. Visionary leadership is about setting a future direction and inspiring everyone to move toward it.
It’s important for employees to see where the practice is headed and how their work contributes to that vision. A strong vision, shared openly and enthusiastically, is what gets everyone rowing in the same direction, even when day-to-day challenges arise.
When I can clearly share where we’re headed—whether it’s adding new services, updating equipment or expanding into another location—it gives the team a sense of purpose and a sense that they’re part of something bigger than just the daily grind.
Reminding the whole team what our mission is: “Wow’ing our staff, patients and community” and what our core values are: Friendliness, Efficiency, Truthfulness, Compassion and Having Fun…routinely is so important for everyone to see, feel and remember WHY we do what we do.
The negative of this style of leadership? Without practical follow-through, it can be a bunch of ideas that never happen which makes it easy for your team to lose trust in you.
The Bottom Line: Different Leadership Styles for Different Situations
If I stuck with just one leadership style, I don’t think our practice would be as strong or as connected as it is today. Trying to be adaptable and knowing which styles fit different situations allows me to keep working on becoming the kind of leader my team needs.
This flexibility is key to building a team that not only gets things done, but also feels genuinely supported and part of something bigger. I rely on others in our leadership team when their natural styles are a better fit, and I try to be aware of the areas where I need to stretch myself and improve.
So, what about you?
Which leadership style comes naturally to you, and which one could you work on?
*Resources
Just a few of the articles I read:
- *https://hbr.org/2020/03/the-best-leaders-are-versatile-ones
- *https://hbr.org/2024/04/6-common-leadership-styles-and-how-to-decide-which-to-use-when
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dr-Nanjundeswaraswamy-2/publication/272509462_Leadership_styles/links/5b5e8707458515c4b25226d6/Leadership-styles.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373068669_LEADERSHIP_STYLES
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7138911/
- https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/21/what-makes-for-an-effective-leadership-style/
Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, is president of Lakeline Vision Source in Cedar Park, Texas, and the Professional Editor of Review of Optometric Business (ROB). To contact her: lsorrenson@gmail.com.
