From the many—perhaps even too many—leadership models available, we present three to make the choice easier. We will help you understand each model individually and how they can be applied in practice. By the end of the series, you will be able to choose the model that suits you best—or even combine elements from different approaches. Ultimately, the decision depends entirely on you and your personal leadership style: which model you adopt, or which elements you integrate into your own approach.
The STAR Leadership Model – For Superheroes and Their Coach
We particularly recommend the STAR leadership model for leaders who want to address not only internal factors, but also external ones—factors that companies often have little control over. If you feel that your work is strongly influenced by external pressures such as the regulatory environment, partner expectations, customer demands, or other outside forces, this may be your leadership model. The STAR model does not promise that “if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything.” Instead, it acknowledges that adaptation is sometimes unavoidable. It recognizes the importance of understanding what surrounds your company and what external requirements you must meet. In many cases, success depends on your ability to change and adapt to market conditions rather than forcing the environment to change around you. So how does this work in practice?
Strengths
The STAR leadership model is built on your team’s strengths. By enabling everyone to use their best abilities, you may find yourself leading a team of superheroes. It doesn’t matter who excels at what—your role is to identify each person’s strengths and integrate them into your strategy. If you’re a fan of Marvel movies, you could think of yourself as Professor X: recognizing unique abilities and helping them work together toward a shared goal.
Teamwork
Because the STAR model focuses on maximizing individual strengths, teamwork naturally becomes a central element. You need to figure out how to combine different skills, capabilities, experiences, and knowledge as effectively as possible. Strengths that become weaknesses when isolated are far less valuable than those that fit seamlessly into the whole. It’s like assembling a puzzle: you need many different pieces, but what truly matters is that they come together to form a coherent picture. As a leader, instead of focusing on individual career paths, you must keep the team’s long-term, collective interests in mind.
Alignment
It’s not enough for people to work well together; they also need to work toward the right goals. Your role is to ensure not only collaboration, but also alignment around shared objectives. This requires clear guidance, visible direction, and well-defined, achievable steps. Be accessible, and always be ready to provide advice to help your colleagues stay on course and move forward along the chosen path.
Results
Effective management cannot exist without clear communication of results. Your team must be able to see just as clearly when they are heading in the wrong direction as when they are achieving success. When goals are set properly, analyzing results will never be misleading. Be prepared to adjust your strategy based on the data—these objective indicators reflect not only your team’s performance, but also the quality of your planning. If your assumptions were incorrect or circumstances changed along the way, it’s far better to recognize this early and adapt than to lead an entire team down an outdated and unproductive path.
Other Factors
As difficult as it may be to accept, your company’s goals and the ways you achieve them will always be influenced—at least to some extent—by external factors beyond your control. This doesn’t have to be intimidating for leaders who are prepared to face these influences. Ultimately, it’s up to you how you manage external constraints and decide where adaptation is necessary—and where it isn’t.
Written by: Eriksson Zsófia
FrameWork Hungary Kft.