The name of this blog comes from our mission at INFLUENCE: “To empower people with clarity and confidence.”
Our objective is to provide brief but meaningful topics (under 500 words) that inspire, educate and empower leaders through resources both inside and outside of INFLUENCE. This week’s edition is provided by David Salmons.
Anyone who seeks to understand leadership styles will note that the number of styles and their descriptions can vary depending upon the experts describing them. Some experts describe 5 leadership styles. Some describe 8. Some describe 10 styles, or even more.
These differences typically have to do with how each expert uses different words to describe similar behaviors, or how they group a number of styles together to refer to them with a single categorical name.
One universal thread in this imperfect science is that most leadership style definitions share an obvious purpose: they identify how leaders relate to their teams.
A less obvious thread is that these acts of relating will produce organizational culture, both positive and negative; and leaders can benefit from recognizing these cultural outcomes as they reflect on their own behaviors.
We’ll do a little reflecting today as we focus briefly on the leadership style known as Laissez-faire. Specifically, we’ll explore its cultural outcomes and look at a few steps that can help correct cultural breakdown when outcomes are negative.
First, by definition the Laissez-faire style is a hands-off style that depends upon team-members to be competent and accountable, meaning that in limited applications a Laissez-faire style produces:
- A relaxed company culture,
- A creative environment,
- Engaged and empowered employees who bring their full energies to work.
Overuse of the Laissez-faire style, however, can be devasting to an organization’s culture, particularly when leaders avoid decision making, fail to create or communicate strategy, and neglect to conduct performance conversations. This contributes to:
- Confusion about roles and objectives,
- Low accountability and passivity,
- Isolation of employees and tolerance of bullying.
While these outcomes are easy to imagine, it may be surprising to learn that studies indicate extreme Laissez-faire leadership behaviors are the most common and most frequently indulged of destructive leadership behaviors.
In other words, when carried to an extreme, Laissez-faire leaders become “absentee leaders”. As such they’re commonly overlooked because they’re harder for organizations to identify than leaders with explosive traits – all of this despite the fact that they produce dysfunctional teams and chronic turnover.
Which behaviors can remedy this? Here’s five steps a leader can take to address an absentee leader culture.
- Work to build trust. This does not require a high degree of charisma. It does require saying what you mean and keeping your word.
- Be present. Be human. Reach out with a willingness to share your thoughts and experiences. If you can’t do this, learn how to do it from those who practice it regularly.
- Provide standards of performance and hold performance conversations.
- Make decisions and pass on directions that clarify goals and objectives.
- Invite feedback and open communication.
And to be clear, few leaders subscribe entirely to one style or another. Some use a variety of styles, depending on the situation and team-members involved. For example, a leader may take direct charge during crisis with an Authoritative style; they may demonstrate a Coaching style much of time; and they still may use a Laissez-faire style for team-members who show extraordinary drive and competence.
In summary, the Laissez-faire style, like all leadership styles, has an impact based on how and when it’s used. It depends upon team-members being competent and accountable. Used in the right situations, this style can energize organizational culture, empower employees, and enhance creativity. Overused or used in the wrong situations, it can produce cultures of anxiety and confusion.