?Those who are overly benevolent in managing employees are what I call ?paternal leaders? ?, says Francie Dalton, president of Washington, D.C. based consultancy Dalton Alliances, Inc. ?The concept of accountability seems punitive to them, so they fail to confront poor performance. As a result, organizational culture devolves into one of mediocrity.?

But criticism and reproach needn?t accompany high performance cultures.

Dalton offers three ways to help paternal leaders elicit high performance without changing their benevolent natures.

1. Make High Performance Irresistible to Everyone:

Segment compensation so that base pay for every employee is slightly below market. Augment this with regular bonuses tied to clear, reasonable but still challenging performance measures, the achievement of which would push one?s compensation far enough over market to be persuasive.

Note that this option makes compulsory the development of performance measures. Avoid the 5 mistakes often made when crafting them by referring to this article on ?Evidence Based Performance Measures?.

http://www.daltonalliances.com/articles/EBPM_Business%20Update%20Publication_January%202004.pdf

2. Activate Peer Pressure: Consider implementing a 360 degree review process, or some permutation of the tool. If done consistent with best practices, this experience can stimulate significant improvements in behavior, performance, and work ethic. Learn more about 360s at:

http://www.daltonalliances.com/articles/Harness%20Power%20and%20Utility%20of%20360%20Degree%20Feedback_Partner%20Advantage.pdf

3. Develop Resonant Leadership: Accessing the discretionary energy of staff is a function of whether or not your leadership resonates with them. This type of leadership can be learned:

http://www.daltonalliances.com/articles/VersatilityNotSoftStuff_AssociationsNow_Aug09.pdf

Francie Dalton, CMC, is founder and president of Dalton Alliances, Inc, a Washington DC consultancy specializing in the communication, management, and behavioral sciences. Her book, ?Versatility?, published by ASAE, and more information about her offerings is available at www.daltonalliances.com or reach her at 800.442.3603.