Aligning Culture with Compensation, and Vice Versa

The financial success of a law firm is indicated by production, revenues, and profits. The cultural success of a law firm is indicated by a stable workforce, workplace flexibility, and an "all for one" mentality. Too often these objectives are treated as mutually exclusive: For a law firm to be financially successful, lawyers and business professionals must make choices that diminish their quality of life. Law firms can also foster behavior wholly inconsistent with cultural values, so long as those exhibiting aberrant behavior make substantial contributions to the firm's financial success.

However, leaders of successful businesses know that creating intentional alignment between an organization's incentives and values will generate greater long-term returns. In this session, consultant and former CEO Tim Corcoran will discuss how to reconcile the seemingly disparate objectives of a productive and happy culture with financial success. He'll illustrate the hidden costs of tolerating, even fostering, rogue behavior. He'll also illustrate the multiplier effect of stable, productive, collaborative teams. This isn't a feel-good session where we'll discuss false harmony and group hugs. This is a discussion of the economics of well-being, designed for leaders who were trained to believe that financial success requires cultural sacrifice.