Laissez-Faire Leadership
Also called: Delegative or Hands-off Leadership
If you remember your high-school French, you'll accurately assume that laissez-faire leadership is the least intrusive form of leadership. The French term “laissez-faire” literally translates to “let them do.”
Leaders who embrace it give nearly all authority to their employees and don’t often interject unless the situation calls for it.
Some key characteristics of laissez-faire leadership include:
Limited guidance, direction, and feedback.
Minimal interference and control.
High autonomy and freedom.
Empowerment and trust.
Why This Leadership Style Works
Laissez-faire leaders make employees accountable for their work. This gives many employees an incentive to do their best work.
This type of leader often creates a more relaxed company culture. This makes it a good model for creative businesses like ad agencies or product design. It's also a good fit for a business with a highly-skilled team.
In a young startup, for example, you might see a laissez-faire company founder who makes no major office policies around work hours or deadlines.
They might put complete trust in their employees while they focus on the overall workings of running the company.
Because of this high level of trust, employees working for laissez-faire leaders feel valued. They get the information they need and use their resources and experience to meet business goals.
Potential Challenges
Although laissez-faire leadership can empower employees by trusting them to work however they'd like, there are downsides.
It can limit team development and pose a challenge for new or inexperienced employees who would benefit from guidance as they get ramped up. Roles and responsibilities can also become unclear, and it can build a culture of working in silos where people might work autonomously rather than as a cohesive group.
This style can lead to overlooking critical company growth and learning opportunities, so keeping this leadership style in check is important.