Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between leadership style and job performance by multiple mediating roles of career satisfaction and job satisfaction using the longitudinal approach for frontline employees in the Jordanian hotel sector. Design/methodology/approach This study used a survey questionnaire based on a five-year longitudinal approach. Data were collected in two-period among frontline employees in five-star hotels in Jordan. Leadership style (transformational leadership and transactional leadership) was measured in the first period, whereas job performance, career satisfaction and job satisfaction were measured in the second period. The final sample for the first and second periods comprised 314 questionnaires valid for more analysis. The statistical software of SPSS (version 25) and SmartPLS (version 3.3.5) have been used for data analysis. Findings The results demonstrated that leadership style (transformational leadership and transactional leadership) has a positive significant effect on job performance. The results demonstrated also that leadership style (transformational leadership and transactional leadership) has a positive significant effect on career satisfaction and job satisfaction. As well the results demonstrated that career satisfaction and job satisfaction have a positive significant effect on job performance. Regarding multiple mediating roles, the results demonstrated that career satisfaction and job satisfaction mediated the relationship between leadership style and job performance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to examine the relationship between leadership style and job performance by multiple mediating roles of career satisfaction and job satisfaction using the longitudinal approach among frontline employees in the hotel sector.