Leaders have a tremendous impact on organizational climate and performance. The behaviors they personally demonstrate - as well as those they implicitly and explicitly endorse - set the tone for employee behavior throughout the organization. For this reason, leaders must serve as positive role models and lead by example if they hope to achieve exceptional performance from their employees and retain their top talent.

Leaders shape organizational climate and influence employee performance through recognition, timely communication, frequent performance feedback, and proper supervision. Additionally, numerous studies have found that employees leave organizations because of poor departmental or organizational leadership (Trinka, 2005).

In an effort to combat the above issues, leaders can improve their organization’s climate and performance by:

		Coaching employees for increased performance - Coaching is a great tool that helps employees, and ultimately the organization, achieve the desired performance goals. It also builds strong relationships between employees and their leaders and effectively communicates that employee development is a priority within the organization.
		Giving feedback - The actions you endorse publicly, privately, or ignore completely influence the types of behaviors employees demonstrate. When you do not correct poor performance or otherwise ineffective behaviors, you endorse them implicitly.
		Managing performance - Employees bring various skills sets to each project and role. Effective leaders match employees’ skills and abilities with the "right" projects to maximize organizational performance. When mismatches occur, leaders need to take decisive action to create a better fit.
		Communicating effectively - The message you send is not always the message that is received. This means that what you intend to or think you are communicating to employees may not be what they receive. Continually check in with employees to ensure that everyone is on the same page and hearing what you want them to hear.
		Matching the "right" leadership style to the situation - Leaders engage in a variety of different behaviors. Some behaviors are more appropriate and effective for certain situations and/or employees. Effective leaders recognize that different approaches are needed and modify their leadership styles to maximize performance in any given situation.

Plus Delta understands the importance of building effective leaders and has created a 5-stage approach to help leaders improve their skills and capabilities. First, we evaluate core skills by completing a competency assessment through personal interviews, employee feedback sessions, 360-degree surveys, and behavioral inventories. Next, we review the detailed assessment results with the individual leader and determine any key areas for development. Working directly with the leader, we then create a personal action plan to target key skill areas through training and other developmental activities. We also provide one-on-one support by facilitating individual coaching sessions to monitor their progress and promote long-lasting sustainable change. At the conclusion of our coaching programs, we also perform a post-evaluation to measure behavioral changes and reinforce continuous performance improvements.

Can Plus Delta help improve your organization's leadership? To learn how to increase leadership excellence within your organization, please call Dr. Jeremy Lurey directly at (866) PLS-DLTA or send him an email at jslurey@plusdelta.net. You can also visit the Leadership Development page of our website for more information about our approach in this critical focus area.

Note: This feature was originally published and distributed in Plus Delta Consulting’s e-newsletter in August 2005.