A leader in an early childhood setting should use distributed, mentoring and authentic leadership styles as these are the most common and effective approaches to implement in early childhood settings, including in staff development situations. Distributed leadership has a significant role in early childhood settings due to the high number of staff and responsibilities that are shared (Clarkin-Phillips, 2007). Distributed leadership is described as multiple people taking responsibility for multiple different tasks (Spillane, 2012). The benefits of this type of leadership are, due to multiple staff members being in a room at once, they can work together to plan and share tasks, which provides more opportunities for in-depth and effective learning experiences for students. Research has suggested that distributed leadership allows staff to take on new roles, which ultimately strengthens the working environment as staff are more motivated, challenged and engaged (Clarkin-Phillips, 2007). Staff development would benefit as a result of the use of distributed leadership as it provides opportunities for teachers to have greater participation in their allocated roles and contribute their strengths through common practices.The leadership style ‘mentoring’ is defined as an individual who is experienced in a field, building a relationship with another less experienced individual to extend on their skills and knowledge (Ebbeck & Waniganayake, 2002). Mentoring is a useful leadership strategy as it allows for further support, guidance and information that may be required by staff members. The benefits of taking on the mentor role as a leader and having a mentoring group within an early childhood setting, builds a more comprehensive and effective working environment where ultimately communication and good listening skills are established (Aubrey, 2011). Mentoring can support staff development through informal and formal training, where they develop and learn to understand the roles and responsibilities that are required of them (Rodd, 2013) while also building meaningful, productive relationships with co-workers.