Incentive Compensation for Contractors - Audience Question: When?

While an incentive program won’t turn around a completely bad culture, there is also no such thing as a perfect culture.

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Contributors Sue Weiler-Doke David Brown

Here are the important prerequisites to have in place before getting started with an incentive program:

  • Does the team have trust in management’s integrity, using Brené Brown’s definition? 
  • Do the team members have a reasonable degree of trust between each other by the same criteria?
  • Would the team be able to withstand a reasonable mistake and still stick together?

If you have these basics in place, then your culture is good enough to start an incentive program. Start modestly and improve each year. Remember that education and communication have more to do with program success than the nuts and bolts of the program itself.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Chinese Proverb

Very applicable to incentive programs.


In this video series, Courtney Stearns, Sue Weiler-Doke, and David Brown discuss the most common questions we get from contractors about incentive programs, including a bunch of great questions from the audience.

This is Part 16 of a 20-Part Series


Topics Covered in the Series Include:

  • Alignment
  • Calculations
  • Prerequisites
  • Mitigating the Talent Shortage
  • Succession

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Incentive Programs for Contractors
Every successful and profitably growing contractor we work with has a comprehensive and integrated set of incentive programs in place at all levels of the organization. These programs reinforce the daily actions and behaviors that make them successful. ...

Incentive Programs for Contractors
Every successful and profitably growing contractor we work with has a comprehensive and integrated set of incentive programs in place at all levels of the organization. These programs reinforce the daily actions and behaviors that make them successful. ...

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