Skoda Minotti implemented a Cultural & HR Innovation initiative to redefine and promote its core values of teamwork, being family-oriented, and encouraging innovation. It developed behavior statements for each value and integrated the values into hiring, onboarding, training, performance evaluations, and recognition. It launched the initiative at an all-employee meeting with interactive activities and gifts. Videos and weekly emails provide examples of living the values. Results show high employee alignment with and recognition for demonstrating the core values.

1. THE 2 0 16
ANNUAL EDGE AWARDS
Continuing Categories
1. INNOVATIVE FIRM OF THE YEAR
This category honors the LEA member firm that embodies the term innovation in several
aspects of its operation and service delivery.
2. INNOVATIVE FIRM INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
This award highlights one specific project in the past calendar year that has successfully
improved the operation or service delivery of a firm.
3. INNOVATIVE FIRM LEADER
This individual acts as a leader and change agent within his or her firm. With outstanding
vision and direction he or she plays a major role in the organization’s success.
4. CULTURAL & HR INNOVATION
The award honors the most creative and productive initiative or campaign focusing on an
organization’s cultural and human resources development.
5. INTERNAL TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
This category highlights one specific technology project in the past calendar year that has
successfully improved the operation or service delivery of a firm.
6. OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE
This category honors the most creative and productive firm initiative or program for
community service.
7. OUTSTANDING MARKETING INITIATIVE
This category honors the most creative and productive initiative or campaign focused on any
of the following: sales, client retention, referral source development, media relations, etc.
8. OUTSTANDING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM
This category honors the most creative program to address the needs of young professionals
(YPs) in today’s dynamic environment.
9. CLIENT COMPANIES OF LEA MEMBER FIRMS
 Client Recognition for Outstanding Community Service honors the most creative
and productive company initiative or program for community service.
 Client Recognition for Sustainability honors a company making significant eco-
conscious business decisions that positively impact the environment and the bottom
line.
10. COLLABORATION OFLEA MEMBER FIRMS
Three award categories honor collaboration between LEA member firms on client
projects:
 Biggest Revenue Win
 Most LEA Firms Involved
 Most Countries Involved

2. ANNUAL EDGE AWARDS NOMINATION FORM
Firm Name ___Skoda Minotti______________________________________________
Nominee’s Name ___Skoda Minotti_________________________________________
Nominator’s Name __Cary Chaitoff__________________________________________
Award Category __Cultural & HR Innovation__________________________________
PLEASE NOTE: The Awards Committee reserves the right to change any entries that have been
inappropriately categorized. Such entries will be placed into their appropriate category.
Briefly Describe the Problem(s) & Opportunity(ies):
At SkodaMinotti,ouremployees willalwaysbe ourgreatestasset.Likewise,we continuallystrivetobe the
greatestassetwe can be to our employees,whichinturn,helpsusdeliverexceptional clientservice.Throughout
our firm,we workhard to nurture an environmentwhere employees are inspiredtobe anddo theirverybest.In
orderfor that to occur, we needa strongworkplace culture.Yetasour firmcontinuestogrow,we are constantly
challengedtomaintain,strengthenandevolvethisculture sothatinternal employeesandexternal clientscan
positivelyexperience andshare it.
Duringa partnerretreatinthe springof 2015, our leadersrecognizedthatneed,andtheyfocusedasubstantial
portionof theirretreattime ondevisingstrategiesandtacticstoenergize andreinvigorate ourcore values—the
essence of ourfirm’sidentity,andone of the mostvaluable factorsinshapingourculture.Withgreatattribution
to our innovative spirit,progressive strategyandconsiderationof ourevolvingworkforce,theyreflectedonthe
philosophyunderlyingourcore values;theyrevisitedeachcore value indetail;andtheysoughttoredefine them
for todayand tomorrowinwaysthat maintainthe principlesthathave shapedthe firm’ssuccesssince its
foundingin1980.
From these efforts, ourcore valueswere categorizedinthree primarygroups:
 Teamwork – workingcollaborativelytoachieve excellence
 FamilyOriented –approachingourworkby beingflexible andsupportive andallowingotherstobe
engagedwithlife outside of the workplace
 Innovation –encouraginglearningandfosteringnew ideas
Our leadersalsofoundthatitwas essentialtodevelop“behaviorstatements”thatwere directlyalignedtoeach
of ourcore values.These behaviorstatementswill helpeveryoneatSkodaMinotti – partners,principalsandstaff
alike – to understandhowtheyshouldconductthemselves,how theyshouldbe treated,how theyshouldtreat
others,howservicesshouldbe deliveredandhow customersandclientsshouldbe servicedbyourfirm.Ourcore
valuesalsohelptoenlightenourexistingandpotentialclientsastowhowe are and what we value;theyserve as
our primaryrecruitingandretentiontool;andtheystandasa fundamental pointof reference inourdecision-
makingprocesses.
From all this, ourcore valuesare expressedinthe followinggraphic,whichnow appearsonwalls,desks,
mousepadsandotherstrategiclocationsthroughouteachof ouroffices:

3. Outline the Innovative Solution(s):
An organization’svaluesshouldultimatelyserve asa moral compassfor itspeople.Inordertobringour redefined
core valuestolife,we hadtointegrate themintoeachandeveryaspectof our internal andexternal business
practices. Thisnecessitated developingandimplementingstrategiestoattractand retaintalent,trainand
developemployees,andevaluate,recognize andrewardemployeesbasedontheirperformance.
Core Valuesin Action:Attraction andRetention
Our hiring process architecture enables us to make smart decisions about candidates who would be a great
cultural “fit.” As a result of our Core Values Initiative, we have since incorporated behavioral-based
interview questions into our hiring process that align with our core values and behavior statements. This
now allows our staffing team to gather valuable insights on how well the candidate may mesh with the
firm’s culture. We have found that those who are most successful not only possess the necessary
knowledge, skills, and abilities, but also they naturally exhibit behaviors and personal values that are
closely aligned with our core values.
To further facilitate a new employee’s successful transition, great consideration and effort was spent to
improve the on-site onboarding experience for new team members. As a direct result of our Core Values
Initiative, our core values are now woven throughout the orientation process in PowerPoints, training
sessions and talking points to help them to further understand the specific values and expectations that our
firm espouses. Every new hire participates in a standardized two-day experience which introduces
essential resources and ensures consistency.
Core Valuesin Action:Trainingand Development
Our HumanResourcesteamrecentlydevelopedandunveiledthe Universityof Promise,ourin-house University.
The objective of the Universityistocreate a learningculture inwhichthe pursuitof lifelonglearningissupported
in-house.Thisupholdsourcore value of Innovation.
It isour missionto continue toinvestineffortstoimprove the waysinwhichwe train anddevelopourpeople.
Thisinvestmentultimatelyhelpsindividualsimprove theirpersonalandprofessionalskillsetsandcreatescultural
alignment.WitheachUniversityof Promise course,facilitatorspromptadiscussionforlearnerstoshare ideasand
perspectivesastohow the learningtopicsupportsandupholdsourcore values.

4. Core Valuesin Action:EvaluatingOur Employees
In orderto ensure thatthe people of ourorganizationtruly“live”ourcore values,we hadtodevelopa
mechanismthatwouldholdthemaccountable formeetingthe expectationsthatourleadershave setforth.
Therefore,ourCore ValuesInitiative promotedustoupdate ourannual performance appraisal formsandmidyear
jobevaluationformstoinclude andreflectourcore valuesandspecificbehaviorstatements.Thisholds
employeesaccountableforupholdingthe firm’score valuesandbehaviors –notjust theirjobperformance –
whichfurthershapesandreinforcesourculture,andthe organizationwe strive tobe.
Core Valuesin Action:Recognition and Rewards
Our corporate culture empowersouremployees torecognize andreward othersfortheirvaluableeffortsand
contributionsinsupportof the core values.Inthe fall of 2015, we implementedarecognitionandrewards
program that broughtthispractice to life.
Our employeeslike toreceive rewardsthatare meaningful tothem.Furthermore,whatmakesone personfeel
appreciatedmaynotgive someone elsethatsame sense of appreciation.We have foundthatouremployeeswill
experience atrue sense of fulfillmentwhenreceivingappreciationthroughtheirownindividual lenses.Inaddition
to the recognitioncertificate thatall employeesreceive,we offerrewardsthatalignwithfiveawardcategories:
Explain the Implementation Process(es):
There were several waysinwhichwe cascadedthese new andexcitingchangestoouremployees.Ourpartner
and principal leaders,alongwithHumanResourcesandStrategicMarketingteammembers,worked
collaborativelytoprepare forthe bigreveal toour employees.Tobringour core valuestolife,we creatednew
symbolstoexemplifyeachof the core values,aswell asposters,postcards,signage,andotherprintanddigital
media.Itwas decidedthatthe Core ValuesInitiative wouldbe unveiledatourAnnual Firm-Wide Meeting,anoff-
site retreatwhere all employeesjoinedtogethertopartake infirmnews,updatesandcelebrations.
A firmleaderwasdesignatedtoshare the newsinabrief presentation.He engagedthe audience byleadingan
openingactivityinstructingeveryonetoworkamongsttheir“teams,”(those teamsbeingcomprisedof employees
seatedat assignedtables) to“worktogether”toassemble apuzzle that,whencompleted,wouldreveal itselfas
our newCore Valuessymbol.ThisultimatelydemonstratedourCore Value of "Teamwork."
To communicate the behaviorstatementsthatwere alignedwitheachof the core values,there were 12lucky
employeeswhowouldhave anenvelopehiddenundertheirseats.Eachenvelope containedthe descriptionof a
behaviorstatementalignedwithone of the core values.Those employeeswere askedtoreadthe behavior
statementandshare whichcore value theythoughtitmost closelyalignedwith.Inexchange fortheirbrave
participation,theyreceivedamonetaryreward!
As eachof the core valuesandbehaviorstatementswerehighlighted,there were aseries of videosandvignettes
that were showntoillustrate ourcore valuesinactionsothat our employeescouldlearnandbegintoemulate
those behaviors.Togive ouremployeesa“jumpstart,”theywere gifted“SkodaSwag”whichincludedaT-shirt,a
photoframe encasingthe core valuesandbehaviors,amouse padwiththe newlydesignedcore value image,and
a fewothersmall tokensof appreciation.

5. Additionally,the marketinggroupproducedsix videosfeaturingthe childrenof SkodaMinotti employees.We
thoughtthere wasno betterwayto demonstrate beingfamilyorientedthantalkingtoourkids.These videos
highlightvariouselementsof the firm’score valuesandwhatmakesourfirmunique.The receptiontothe videos
has beenoverwhelming;infact,it’sresultedinthe highestshareditemswe’ve everexperienced,withmore than:
 25,000 impressions
 2,000 clicks
 850 likes/shares
 Over2,400 viewsonYouTube
We encourage youtocheck outthe videos:
Teamwork
Thought Leadership
Family
The Firm
College Planning
Meetings
Additionally,aspart of our employeerecognitionandengagementstrategy,eachMonday,ourCOO sends weekly
firm-widecommunicationsthat demonstrate ourcore valuesinaction.Thisincludesexamplesof employeesbeing
recognizedfor“living”the core values.Thesetestimonialsshow how ourfirmhashonoreditscore values,and
howour core valuesare applicable inourdailylivesatwork.
Employeesare rewardedforexhibitingthe behaviorsalignedwithourcore values.The intentof eachexampleis
to helpouremployeesmake the connectionbetweenthe core values andbehaviorsandtheirapplicabilityinour
dailylivesatwork. Evenafterrolloutof our Core ValuesInitiative,we stillenthusiasticallyendeavortoinventnew
waysto keepourcore valuesenergized.
Lastly,appreciationispartof our culture,soour firmstrivesto fostera culture of ongoingappreciation. Inthis
vein,we hostquarterly“AppreciationStations.”DuringanAppreciationStation,employeesall acrossthe firm
gathertogetherfora short,one-hourperiodfilledwithlaughter,music,fun,andtreats. A varietyof stationary,
cards and craft materialsare providedtoemployeestocreate notesof “thanks,”appreciationandrecognitionto
otheremployees.Employeesare askedtopersonallydelivertheirsentimentstothose theyhave recognized.The

6. AppreciationStationshave beena hugesuccess;they’veproventobe a greatway to bringour employees
togetheranddemonstrate the value of appreciation inaction.
Document the Results:
Recognitionand Performance Metrics
Living the Core ValuesRecognition
86 Total numberof recognitioncertificatesawardedsince November2015
64 Total numberof recognitionrecipients
58 Total numberof employeeswhohave nominatedotheremployees
Performance Evaluation Ratings (Core Values)
97% Percentage of employees who received scores of Meets Expectations and/or Exceeds
Expectations in ALL of the Core Value competencies in their Annual Performance
Appraisal
51% Percentage of employees who received scores of Exceeds Expectations for at least two (2)
of the Core Value competencies in their Annual Performance Appraisal
Innovative Firm Leader Only - Describe why this Individual is Outstanding in Innovation
and Leadership
Other Comments:
Examples of Core Value of the Week Emails from COO

8. Examples of Living the Core Values Recognition Certificate

10. Examples of Quarterly Recognition for Core Values
All submissions and related materials must be emailed to:
Karen Kehl-Rose karen.kehl-rose@the-lea.com
ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN
AUGUST 15TH, 2016