In addition to recommending the leadership style to fit the situation, the path-goal theory offers other suggestions to leaders. Most of them relate to motivation and satisfaction, including the following: Recognize or activate group members’ needs over which the leader has control. Increase the personal payoffs to team members for attaining work goals. The leader might give high-performing employees special recognition.

Make the paths to payoffs (rewards) easier by coaching and providing direction. For instance, a manager might help a team member be selected for a high-level project. Help group members clarify their expectations of how effort will lead to good performance and how performance will lead to a reward. Reduce frustrating barriers to reaching goals. For example, the leader might hire a temporary worker to help with a seasonal work overload.

Increase opportunities for personal satisfaction if the group member performs effectively. The if is important because it reflects contingent behavior on the leader’s part. Be careful not to irritate people by giving them instructions on things they already can do well. To obtain high performance and satisfaction, the leader must provide structure if it is missing and supply rewards. To accomplish this, leaders must clarify the desirability of goals for the group members.

As a leader, you can benefit from path-goal theory by applying these eight methods of influencing performance. Although research interest in path-goal theory has almost disappeared in recent years, the basic tenets of the theory are on target. Any comprehensive theory of leadership must include the idea that the leader’s actions have a major impact on the motivation and satisfaction of group members. Despite the potential contributions of path-goal theory, it contains so many nuances and complexities that it has attracted little interest from managers.