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

All relationships start with a simple conversation. Let’s schedule some time to talk about your specific challenges and opportunities.


Incentive Compensation for Contractors - Audience Question: When?
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 Compensation for Contractors - Audience Question: When?
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. ...

Doing Something is Worth a Lot
All things must be thought about before they can be built. For more complex ideas they must be talked about with a team to align everyone. Those are both critical prerequisites however without the act of actually doing something they are 100% waste.
Leaders Developing Others
Having clear goals is critical but leadership is 99.99% about the journey and developing the team of people you take the journey with.
Incentive Compensations for Contractors - Calculations
It is counterproductive to have an incentive program that is either too subjective or too objective. In order to achieve a perception of equity across your teams, the right balance needs to be found.