If you've wondered which leadership style is right for you, we've got another option that could be the secret sauce to your success. That style is the laissez-faire approach.
So what is laissez-faire leadership? From the French term meaning 'let it be', laissez-faire leadership is all about trust and autonomy.
Laissez-faire leaders don't micromanage or spoon-feed their teams but instead, they create an environment where creativity, resourcefulness and experience are the driving forces.
But don't be fooled, this isn't about avoiding responsibility, leaders are still there to guide and step in when necessary.
Sound like the style for you? Read on.
What is a laissez-faire leadership style?
You've likely heard the French term laissez-faire before. Maybe someone's approach to cooking was described as laissez-faire or you've heard someone tell a friend to be more laissez-faire.
The direct translation from French is 'let it be' or 'let it happen' and is used to describe a more relaxed, laidback approach. But how does that relate to a leadership theory?
Laissez-faire leadership
Laissez-faire leadership is a hands-off approach where the leader provides minimal guidance and direction to their team. Instead, they allow team members to make decisions and manage their workload independently. It revolves around autonomy and delegation but can lead to a lack of direction and accountability if not managed effectively.
Employees have significant control over their work and become the principal decision-makers, without the pressure of constant oversight from their managers.
Laissez-faire leaders entrust their teams with key project responsibilities and let them run with it.
However, the laissez-faire style is not a laissez-faire affair; it requires serious trust in the team members and their capabilities.
A laissez-faire leader steps back from the smaller tasks and leaves it to their team to handle, but are still on hand to support if they need to.
This in itself is a fine balance - too much interference means their team don't feel trusted but too little and it can descend into chaos.
Key characteristics of a laissez-faire management style
Hands-off style
One of the key characteristics of laissez-faire leadership is its hands-off style.
Leaders who choose this style opt for minimum intervention when it comes to projects. Emphasis is placed on the big picture rather than micromanaging the team through the smaller tasks.
They balance guiding with giving space and focus more on enabling their teams with relevant tools and resources, rather than involved management.
That doesn't mean they become inactive.
They're still available to offer advice or intervene when needed, which is key to keeping that all-important balance.
Trust in employees
Laissez-faire leadership wouldn't work without trust.
Leaders need to have a high level of trust in their employees so they can have the laid-back approach that laissez-faire leadership requires.
They need to trust not only that they'll get the work done but also have confidence in their team's capabilities to do a great job without much guidance.
This trust goes both ways. Employees need to be able to trust their leader to guide them and make the right business decisions for the company.
They also need to trust that if they need support, their leader can offer it.
Encouragement of employee decision-making and accountability
Under laissez-faire leadership, delegation is key and decision-making power lies largely with employees.
Teams can enjoy high autonomy and are often the primary decision-makers when it comes to getting things done.
Having this responsibility means teammates can be more innovative and creative in the way they solve problems.
When employees have more freedom, accountability for tasks also increases, which in turn leads to a more committed workforce.
All of this combined leads to a happier workforce with higher job satisfaction and a company with lower attrition rates.
Laissez-faire leadership in comparison to other leadership styles
There are multiple different leadership styles out there from servant leadership to traditional hierarchical leadership.
Here is how laissez-faire leadership's common characteristics compare to a few of those.
Traditional hierarchical leadership
Traditional hierarchical leadership, often seen in authoritative structures, sits on the other end of the spectrum of laissez-faire.
Under a traditional setting, the leader is in full control of assigning tasks and responsibilities and is tight at the reins of decision-making.
Where the laissez-faire approach to leadership is focused on trust and independence, the traditional style is about control and dependence on the leader.
This difference impacts the culture, employee engagement and overall job satisfaction of team members.
Servant leadership
A servant leader prioritises the needs, growth and well-being of their team above their own.
A servant leader aims to build a learning workplace where everyone offers their own opinions.
This leadership style aligns with laissez-faire to a certain extent, in the way it creates a sense of empowerment and shared focus on creating a supportive environment.
However, laissez-faire leadership differs as leaders have more of a passive role, whereas servant leaders are more active as they nurture the development of their team.
Affiliative leadership
Another leadership style is affiliative leadership. This style mainly concentrates on building emotional bonds that bring a sense of belonging within the team.
It is firmly rooted in the idea that strong team bonds and frequent positive reinforcement are the keys to success, but affiliative leaders potentially overlook the individuality that laissez-faire leaders allow.
Affiliative leaders focus on harmony and encouraging team cohesion and connectivity whereas laissez-faire leadership prioritises autonomy and independence.
Laissez-faire leadership advantages and disadvantages
We've touched on a few of the challenges and benefits of laissez-faire leadership, but here they are in more detail.
Advantages of laissez-faire leadership
- It encourages creativity by giving team members the freedom to explore possibilities, develop their ideas and experiment without constant supervision.
- Delegating decision-making power to employees builds confidence among the team members. This in turn strengthens their capabilities and commitment to their roles and promotes a sense of ownership over outcomes.
- Autonomy does more than boost creativity, it allows leaders to prioritise the other parts of their role. For example, spending less time micromanaging means leaders can spend more time on strategic business decisions and long-term planning.
Disadvantages of laissez-faire leadership
- For it to be efficient, it needs a strong and capable team who is comfortable making decisions and shaping their role. This means the leader needs to build a team that can handle that responsibility and can be trusted to make the right decisions.
- Any employees who don't fit into this will need more support, which isn't the style of laissez-faire and can lead to stress for the leader and the employee. If an employee then doesn't feel supported or has low accountability or lack of role clarity, they'll start to feel unhappy which can lead to higher turnover rates.
- Although this style focuses on delegation, there is still a need for leaders to step in when needed. They need to lead with direction and know when to intervene with any issues. If they don't, further problems can arise.
With plenty of research and additional training and support, all team members can work towards an environment where effective leadership can shine through.
Ideal work environments for laissez-faire leaders to be successful
Even if you think you have the leadership skills to make this work, you also need to think about how it would work for your team and industry. We'd love to say it works in every work environment but as with every style, it suits some better than others.
It works best in companies where:
- Innovation is at the heart
- Employees take charge and are accountable for their tasks and projects
- New products are at the forefront as well as artistic assignments or innovative marketing campaigns for example
- Autonomy and routine can happen without micromanagement
That's not all. Even if your business ticks every single box, it still wouldn't work without one crucial element: trust.
If you don't think you can fully trust all of your employees to complete their projects, this is not the leadership style for you.
Tips for laissez-faire leadership to be implemented successfully
If everything is aligning and you think this leadership style is right for you and your organization, these are our tips on how to implement it.
Encourage personal growth and creativity
For this type of leadership style to work, employees need to be able to continue to grow and contribute creatively.
If you don't already, start by streamlining delegation by assigning responsibilities according to your team's skill sets and interests.
Encourage your team to participate in decision-making processes to make sure everyone has a sense of ownership over their work. This will also help them grow professionally as they deal with real-life challenges and make decisions independently.
Create an environment where creativity is at the forefront. Remove any barriers to creative thinking and encourage your team members to think outside the box.
By having diverse perspectives, you will breathe fresh life into projects, initiatives and business processes.
Ensure clear communication
One significant aspect often overlooked in laissez-faire leadership is communication.
While autonomy and delegation are key, establishing clear channels of communication is just as crucial.
For laissez-faire leadership to work, open communication should be the norm. Every team member should be encouraged to speak up and share their ideas, thoughts, feedback and concerns.
This also makes everyone feel heard and appreciated and can lead to a happier culture.
Remember that as a leader, your role is to guide. Communicate your expectations and the company's overall objectives and clarify how each team member's tasks and roles align with these goals.
Having clear visibility of targets and objectives helps your team make better decisions and creates unity.
Successful laissez-faire leadership means walking a fine line between giving your team the space and tools they need to excel and remaining engaged, present and supportive as a leader.
While your team are the ones with full control over their roles, it's up to you as the leader to guide and offer team support when needed.
Examples of laissez-faire leaders
All of these transformational leaders understand the importance of a delegative leadership style.
They know the laidback ways of this style makes them forward-thinking and more effective in situations where other leaders aren't.
They understand the advantages and limitations of this style and have used it in their favour to build incredibly successful and well-known companies.
They each empower their team to take responsibility and fail when needed which is exactly what true leadership is.
- Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx. Sara was named the youngest female self-made millionaire by Forbes in 2012 following the success of Spanx. One thing Sara has focused on is trusting her employees with minimal interference. She encourages failure and knows it leads to innovation. Something that has clearly worked well for her and her company.
- Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of Google. Page and Brin combined a laissez-faire approach with other leadership styles to make one that works for them. The laissez-faire style allows them to trust their employees to be innovative while managing and leading their company.
- Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett is known for putting immense trust in his team as he believes people make bold and innovative decisions when they're fully trusted to do so.
Conclusion
Laissez-faire leadership thrives with highly skilled, self-motivated employees and in environments that encourage innovation. But remember, it's not for everyone or every situation.
Its success hinges on the team's abilities and the leader's capacity to stand back yet step in when necessary.
When done correctly, this leadership style can boost confidence, enhance performance and create a culture of trust and open communication.
Yet, leaders need to know how to balance hands-off guidance with timely intervention.
There's a reason this style stands out from others as it promotes freedom and independent decision-making.
As a leader, your role becomes more strategic, focusing on the big picture while your team navigates the details.
One final takeaway: laissez-faire leadership begins at the top. It's about setting the stage for your team to shine, providing the tools they need and trusting them to deliver.
With the right team, environment and leader, laissez-faire leadership can lead to incredible results.

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