The recent global economic crisis wreaked havoc on the 'copy cat' compensation systems of the past. Sibson Consulting's recent Real Pay for Performance study of almost 150 companies across the country identified a group of companies who broke away from the strong pull of compensation program sameness. These 'Break-Away' companies successfully transitioned from copying what everyone else did to compensation programs that are right for their company. This highly interactive presentation will share the compensation design and execution strategies these companies successfully employ to drive higher levels of company performance. The presentation also will discuss how to overcome the obstacles that trip up other organizations so that these strategies can be actionable in any organization.