Liberal leadership is characteristic of coordinators who offer freedom in decision-making to their subordinates, as in public or private companies.
It is also known as laissez faire leadership , from the French “let it do”, a term that identifies the freedom that this type of leader offers.
Characteristics of liberal leadership.
The liberal leader is considered as someone who leads in a more passive way, avoiding making decisions or not being responsible for their supervision, in addition to being more absent.
In groups where this leader is present, it is common to have a trusting relationship with their followers, to the point that they are responsible for their own decisions.
Because of this, this type of leadership is only recommended for environments where people have the ability to carry out their activities autonomously.
Advantages of liberal leadership
In places where followers have a good ability to draw their own conclusions, the liberal leader can be helpful to the environment.
This being the case, it is possible to list some advantages of this type of leadership, such as:
- Provides greater freedom in team interaction;
- It offers more motivation and confidence to team members, who perform their activities better under their own autonomy;
- The division of tasks can be free and to the liking of the group;
- Recommended for groups of experts or where the activities are simple.
Disadvantages of liberal leadership
The negative points of this type of leadership can appear in environments where the leader should be more present, playing his role with more intensity.
Among the biggest disadvantages, we can list that:
- Under liberal leadership, the group is more prone to errors;
- The division of labor, regardless, may not be as appropriate as possible;
- Problems can escalate with a leader who is not very present;
- Without leadership motivation, the group may show less motivation and commitment to activities.
To avoid these disadvantages, it is possible to face a more intense leadership than the liberal one, like the democratic style, for example.