When translated, “Laissez-faire” roughly means “Let it happen” – although let’s be honest, “Laissez-faire” sounds much nicer.
“Let it happen” leadership occurs when you put a bunch of people in a room and tell them to figure it out.
No guidance.
No structure.
No input.
No direction.
Just… let it happen.
This isn’t a good strategy; everything and everyone needs guidance. We crave it, we want it, we need it to do well.
Am I on track?
Is this what you expect?
Are we aligned?
These are all the meme-worthy tropes that come out when a team is not getting any sort of guidance to accomplish a task, lead a team, or complete a project.
The solution? Move away from “Letting it Happen”, introduce some principles and guidelines to success, create some boundaries, and give your team the guidance they are begging for.
You’re not micromanaging them, but you’re giving them what they need to understand before moving forward – “Your expectations”.