“Of course, no one is happy,” Reggie quickly responded. “The performance standard is not accomplished. I don’t care, as the manager, whether or not I pay the bonus. What I care about is the performance standard.”

“But, implicit in your agreement to pay a bonus for achieving a specific standard, was not paying the bonus if the standard was not achieved, so you cannot be angry, you cannot be upset and you certainly cannot hold them accountable for the underperformance. By agreeing to the bonus, you have told your team, it is okay for you to do less than your best. Accountability is out the window.”

Reggie was not happy. He did not like to hear this.

“Now, let’s go back to the conversation. You remember the conversation where you got your team talking about the performance standards instead of you?”

Reggie remembered. “This is where, instead of me telling them, I ask them questions, begin a discussion and together, we set the performance standard?”

“Yes, and what happens to accountability in this circumstance? Remember, there is no bonus, only you and your team. Where does accountability land in this conversation?”

Reggie was thinking through the conversation. Finally, he concluded, “If the group sets the performance standard, then accountability rests with the group.”

“And where do you want accountability, solely on your shoulders as the manager, or do you want the entire group accountable for their own performance?” -TF