Leaders create compensation strategies and programs to focus their people on top priorities and results. Tailored rewards support business goals, encourage higher performance, and reinforce behaviors and results that define success for specific roles, teams, and businesses.

Compensation design is more than a technical pursuit. Rewards are a business cost, which needs to be evaluated against expected returns, the risks associated with individual and team performance, and the company's ability to retain top talent.

Reward strategies drive the behaviors and results leaders want by defining the metrics and standards that will be used to assess results and the associated payout for targeted levels of performance. The design process includes an assessment of competitive market benchmarks and alternative performance/payout scenarios to understand the potential impact of any compensation design.

Solutions and communications need to be tailored for management, sales, specific functions and departments, and teams, for both annual and long-term performance. However you decide to define success in your business, performance-based compensation will work. The message "For High Performance, High Reward" resonates at every level.