“But everyone understood that we had to land the project for the team to get their bonus,” Lindsey protested.
“No, you understood that. The team understood something different. If they gave it their best and worked really hard, the team would get the bonus. So, they worked really hard and gave it their best. The only person who was in position to make decisions was the manager. The team didn’t get their bonus because of their manager.”
Lindsey was quiet. “So, we set up a system that, in the end, created a divide between the manager and the team.”
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Was it lack of communication by the Manager that maybe it was a project that the company really did not want thus being an exercise for the team? One could surmise that the Manager’s bonus was also included so why would that person let it fail?
The communication between the managers and the team members was not there. If the manager would have communicated to the team members what the project was about and what was in stake everyone would have been in the same page.
Communication is essential when running projects; everyone needs to understand the same thing so as a team everyone is working to achieve the goals. Teamwork can change the world but communication needs to be part of this change.