Client insights
Real-world success stories from our clients covering topics such as partner goals, regular check-ins and feedback culture.
The Client Insights sessions showcased real-world stories from Performance Leader clients. In these four sessions, attendees discovered innovative approaches to aligning partner contributions with firm strategy, creating meaningful check-in conversations, developing partner potential through a strengths-based approach, and energising feedback culture.
Presentations were followed by a short discussion among attendees, facilitated by the speaker and/or the Performance Leader team. Recordings of each presentation is included below, along wth a short summary of the presentation and the discussion.
We hope these practical case studies provide valuable takeaways that could be adapted to your organisation.
Aligning partner contribution to firm strategy (Minter Ellison)
Discover how Minter Ellison is aligning partner goals to business unit plans and strategies using Performance Leader's Plans module, with Nicola Atkinson, the Head of Partner Development at Minter Ellison.
Nicola Atkinson, Head of Partner Development at Minter Ellison, shared insights into the firm’s approach to aligning partners with organisational strategy through structured goal-setting and performance systems. The presentation highlighted the challenges of implementing strategy in a professional services firm with a highly autonomous and diverse partnership of 270 members. Minter Ellison uses Performance Leader to enable alignment through goal-setting and business unit plans - this creates a "one-stop shop" for strategic objectives.
Key points included:
- The importance of a clear strategy and its regular review, with significant progress made over the last six months.
- Utilising a capability framework to integrate goal alignment into feedback processes.
- Establishing a centralised, easily accessible platform for business unit plans, updated biannually, to ensure alignment and visibility.
- A balanced approach to goal-setting that combines top-down strategic clarity with bottom-up autonomy.
Nicola emphasised the cultural significance of maintaining partner independence while fostering collaboration, and highlighted the platform’s role in creating accountability and driving strategy execution.
Post-presentation discussion highlights
The post-presentation discussion delved into the practicalities of aligning goals and strategies across partnerships and explored innovative ways to foster collaboration and accountability. Attendees shared challenges and solutions, drawing from their own firm experiences.
Key themes and insights included:
- The importance of balancing top-down strategic clarity with bottom-up autonomy to respect partnership culture.
- The use of centralised platforms to serve as a "single source of truth" for plans, improving visibility and fostering collaboration.
- New AI tools were discussed as potential mechanisms for coaching partners to set, align, and collaborate on objectives effectively.
- Leadership accountability was highlighted, with sector heads and client relationship partners being assessed based on their success against strategic plans rather than traditional financial metrics.
- Attendees expressed interest in how AI could distil collective partner objectives into a cohesive strategic overview, identifying gaps and areas of alignment.
The session concluded with agreement on the need for flexibility in goal-setting processes and a shared interest in leveraging technology to enhance collaboration and alignment (with a lot of excitement for Performance Leader’s AI goal setting tool!)
Maximising Partner Potential (Pitcher Partners)
Exploring a strength-based approach to partner development with Pitcher Partners' Managing Partner, Adam Irwin.
Key features of the model included leveraging individual partner strengths while ensuring alignment with collective objectives. Adam detailed how he developed the framework through collaboration with partners of varying experience levels and tested it through a trial phase before full implementation. Metrics used in the framework included financial indicators, engagement scores, and net promoter scores, balancing quantitative and qualitative measures.
Adjustments following the trial phase included refining personal goals to ensure clarity and measurability. Adam highlighted the importance of a deliberate, phased approach to change, encouraging accountability and fostering a stronger performance culture within the partnership.
Post-presentation discussion highlights
The post-presentation discussion centred on the implementation and impact of the strengths-based contribution model. Attendees explored whether the framework served as a balanced scorecard or a more holistic tool, and clarifying that it combines financial metrics and qualitative measures to assess partner contributions. Participants discussed the model’s use in remuneration decisions, noting its phased introduction to mitigate potential resistance. Insights included the importance of careful change management, aligning managing partners with HR leaders, and fostering a supportive culture during transitions.
Key takeaways included:
- Balancing financial and non-financial performance metrics to drive accountability.
- The importance of refining goals to ensure they are specific, measurable, and aligned with strategic priorities.
- Leveraging external expertise and peer reviews to enhance the framework’s development.
There was a lot of interest in exploring similar frameworks, acknowledging the challenges of operational transitions and the potential for technology to streamline goal-setting processes.
Check-ins That Count (Trowers & Hamlins)
Discover how Trowers & Hamlins are creating a culture of meaningful conversations through regular check-ins, with Luke Rolls, HR Systems Manager at Trowers & Hamlins.
The presentation focused on the implementation and benefits of the check-ins functionality at Trowers & Hamlins, as part of their use of the Performance Leader platform. The main objective was to provide a more flexible and personalised approach to employee performance management and self-development.
- The check-ins process allows employees to move beyond rigid, twice-yearly reviews, offering the ability to schedule sessions at their desired frequency, such as monthly or quarterly.
- Practical examples highlighted include using check-ins to document key one-to-one conversations, strategy meetings, and team away days
- The shift has empowered employees to take ownership of their development, with notable improvements in accountability and alignment with the company’s strategic goals.
Post-presentation discussion highlights
The discussion explored the practical aspects of implementing the check-ins functionality, along with its perceived challenges and benefits. Key themes included cultural change, user adoption, and process flexibility.
- Attendees raised questions about the time required for rollout and the cultural challenges of shifting from structured reviews to employee-driven check-ins.
- Insights were shared on how the system accommodates varying management styles, with a focus on empowering employees to set their own cadence for check-ins.
- Notable action steps included setting minimum expectations for check-ins while allowing flexibility for teams to customise their approach.
Overall, the discussion emphasised the importance of adaptability and user ownership in driving the success of the check-ins functionality, and there was a lot of optimism for the dedicated check-ins module in Performance Leader.
Feedback Fridays (Brunswick Group)
How Brunswick Group energised its feedback culture with "Feedback Fridays", a simple but powerful initiative, with Georgia Richards (Global Systems Analyst, Brunswick Group) and Amr Sultan (Global Lead for People Operations, Brunswick Group)
The main objective of the initiative was to create a culture of continuous feedback across the organisation, moving away from traditional, point-in-time feedback cycles tied to end-of-year appraisals. Georgia, the Global Systems Analyst, and Amr, the Global Lead for People Operations, outlined the rationale behind the initiative, which aimed to simplify feedback processes, increase engagement, and provide meaningful data for developmental conversations.
Key highlights included:
- A significant 400% increase in feedback submissions after the launch of Feedback Fridays.
- The use of automated emails sent every Friday, encouraging employees to provide quick and simple feedback.
- Integration of feedback data into performance reviews, allowing employees and managers to reflect on contributions throughout the year.
- Positive outcomes such as enhanced employee engagement, continuous conversations, and better training needs identification.
The initiative demonstrated the power of small, consistent actions in fostering a feedback culture and highlighted the importance of usability and simplicity in encouraging participation.
Post-presentation discussion highlights
The post-presentation discussion explored the practical aspects, challenges, and broader implications of the Feedback Fridays initiative. Attendees raised questions and shared insights on topics such as survey fatigue, training needs, and cultural shifts required to support continuous feedback.
Key themes and insights included:
- Survey Fatigue: The presenters emphasised that feedback submissions were entirely optional, ensuring employees did not feel pressured. This approach minimised concerns around overwhelming staff.
- Training and Development: A need for structured training on giving constructive feedback emerged as a recurring theme. The presenters shared that training modules for managers and employees were introduced alongside the initiative, which improved the quality of feedback over time.
- Actionable Data: Discussions highlighted how feedback data is being used to identify training gaps, support developmental conversations, and inform future improvements to performance review processes.
Attendees acknowledged the effectiveness of launching the initiative alongside incremental training, creating a balance between immediate action and long-term cultural change. The session ended with a consensus on the value of continuous feedback in driving engagement and growth.
Additional Resources
For questions about implementing any of the initiatives discussed in these sessions, please reach out to your Client Success Manager or contact us via our website at PerformanceLeader.com