A project manager uses a laissez-faire leadership style with a newly hired project team. The project manager quickly notices that team members are underperforming, the schedule is delayed, and the pro

Simply allowing the team to work on their own, especially when new, is exactly the laissez-faire approach that led to problems; effective management involves more structure initially.

While adapting a direct management style *might* be necessary given the issues, the fundamental preventative step at the start is to establish goals and authority, which can be done without necessarily being overly direct from day one, but certainly not laissez-faire.

A laissez-faire approach is generally not suitable for a newly hired team that may lack established norms, processes, or clear understanding of expectations. At the start of a project, it's essential for the project manager to establish clear goals, define roles, and provide sufficient guidance and authority to empower the team while ensuring they understand their responsibilities and expected outcomes.

A servant leader style is beneficial for supporting and enabling the team, but even a servant leader needs to ensure clear goals and empowerment are in place, which aligns more closely with choice C than D as the *initial* critical step for a new team.