The purpose of this essay is to describe what characterizes temporary- compared to permanent leadership, and show where the two separates and describe which type of leadership that suits project teams best. The essay is based on studies of topical literature in leadership and project management and discussions among people who work at Swedish National Defence College in Karlstad performing research on leadership and management. It was necessary to review general theories about leadership and project management to be able to define what makes temporary leadership unique. During the work up with the theories, discussions with Swedish National Defence College in Karlstad were held. The details that had most impact on temporary leadership were made into an analysis model. From that model, comparisons with theory and empirical studies were made. The best type of leadership for projects is the developing leadership, where the project manager has the function of a role model that gains trust and faith of the team members. The temporary leadership however needs to be more authoritarian at the start of the project, because of the time limit. The leader can practice a roll more concentrated on relationships if the team members have high competence in the area than if the team members are novice.