Have you ever put on jeans straight out of the dryer and immediately thought, “Oooooof.” They're stiff, uncomfortable, restrictive and you find yourself having to wiggle and contort yourself just to get them to fit. And even when you finally get them on, the whole day feels harder than it needs to. You're definitely not moving your best.

Now here’s the part you may never have thought about before: that’s what working for a certain type of manager feels like.

Because leadership has “fits,” too. In this week's video (and the blog below), I explain what "tight jeans" leadership is like, what some managers (over)rotate instead, and the fit I recommend. Once you see leadership this way, you can’t unsee it and you’ll probably start diagnosing every manager you’ve ever had into their type.

Tight Jeans Leadership

Let’s start with tight jeans leadership, because this one is extremely common - and you may be surprised that I see it usually coming from a good place. Tight jeans managers often know exactly what needs to be done. They want to protect their team, protect the work, protect the organization and protect their own credibility. They have high standards and they care a lot. The problem is that when your leadership style becomes too tight, too rigid, too involved, it leaves your team no room to move.

Tight jeans leadership shows up when a manager is in everything. Not in a helpful way, but in a “just looping myself onto this real quick” way that turns into approving every decision, rewriting work instead of coaching it, needing constant updates, and unintentionally sending the message that nobody can be trusted to fully own anything. And the result isn't just frustration. It affects how people work - and how long they want to be on the team.

Because when employees work for a tight jeans manager, they start focusing on one thing: not getting in trouble. They stop bringing new ideas because new ideas are risky. They stop raising concerns early because they don’t want to look like they can’t handle it. And over time, you get a team that's technically doing the work, but only doing what it takes to avoid getting fired, embarrassed or called out. That’s not innovation. That’s survival.

Once managers realize tight jeans leadership is making everyone tense, many of them overcorrect. They think, “Okay, I’m not doing that anymore. I’m going to give freedom. I’m going to trust my people.” And that’s how we end up with... oversized sweatpants leadership.

Oversized Sweatpants Leadership

Oversized sweatpants managers are usually kind, well-liked and genuinely trying to be better than the micromanagers they’ve had in the past. A lot of them were managed by tight jeans leaders and promised themselves they’d never do that to their team. So, they go the opposite direction. They become hands-off. They don’t want to control. They say things like, “You’ve got it!” and “Do whatever you think,” and “I won't crowd your calendar with a 1:1, come find me if you need me.”

The problem is, that’s not always realistic. People don’t only need support when things are already broken, they need it earlier than that. They need clear information up front. They need direction before they spend two weeks spinning their wheels. They need feedback while there’s still time to adjust, not after the deadline's passed. And when a manager is too hands-off, their team may not actually be able to find them when it matters, and even strong performers can start to feel stuck. Oversized sweatpants leadership can feel comfy in theory, but in practice it can leave a team feeling directionless.

So what can you do? That’s where cozy joggers leadership comes in.

Cozy Joggers Leadership

Cozy joggers leadership doesn't mean "soft." It means structured autonomy. It means you’re giving your team enough support to do great work, while also giving them enough freedom to actually think (and create, problem-solve and actually breathe). Cozy joggers leaders don't hover, but they also don't disappear. They stay involved in a way that helps the team succeed without making the team dependent.

This style means setting clear expectations at the beginning, not correcting everything at the end. It's checking in without making people feel watched. It's coaching without taking over. And it's trusting people with ownership, while still being available enough that they don’t feel like they’re out there alone. Cozy joggers leadership is how you keep standards high without making work feel like constant pressure.

And the best part is, every manager can adopt this approach, no matter your team, experience or personality. You just need a few simple tools and habits that create the right balance, especially when things get busy or stressful and it’s tempting to go "full denim panic mode."

Learn More in My New Book

In my new book, The Manager Method, I talk about these leadership styles and what they look like in practice, with practical examples you can actually use at work. Not fluffy theory that sounds good, but falls apart the second someone on your team makes a mistake. Real situations, real leadership pressure and how to handle it in a way that drives results without driving people out the door.

If you want to become a cozy joggers leader, not just understand the metaphor, this is exactly what the book is built to help you do.

The Manager Method is available for preorder now and releases February 10. You can get it (and free resources) here: managermethod.com/book.

Because leadership is a lot like what you wear. The wrong fit can make everything harder than it has to be. And the right fit changes the whole day... and far longer.