Sport and athletic environments provide evidence that the characteristics of the situation in which a leader is found are closely linked to the degree of success that the leader will enjoy. Four situational or "contingency" theories attempt to delineate the relationship between leadership style and effective results: (1) Fiedler's Contingency Model explored whether very lenient leaders (in evaluating their associates) are more or less likely to lead an effective, high-producing group than leaders who are highly demanding. Discriminating leader attitude was associated with high group performance when the situation was either highly favorable or unfavorable; (2) House's Path-Goal theory of leadership describes how leaders affect the path-goal perceptions of subordinates and emphasizes subordinate motivation and satisfaction as the basis for successful leadership; (3) In Vroom and Yetton's Prescriptive Model, effective problem solving and decision-making skills on the part of the leader are seen as essential; and (4) Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory examines the relationship between the level of maturity of followers and effective leadership styles. (JD)