Is Your Team Bonus Too Complicated?
A team bonus can be a great way to get everyone pulling in the same direction, but only if the team actually understands it.
That is where a lot of business owners make this harder than it needs to be.
They create plans with too many triggers, tiers, rules, and exceptions. My goodness, I have seen some complicated team bonuses out there.
And most of the time, they do not work.
Not because the team does not care, but because the team is not clear on what they are trying to hit or how the bonus actually works.
If you are going to create a team bonus, start with what the business is already trying to achieve.
What is the priority this quarter or this year?
What result are you trying to drive?
What does the team need to do more consistently to help the business get there?
Then keep it simple, put it in writing, and communicate it often.
Bring it up in your weekly team meeting. Let the team know where they stand. If they start paying attention to the number, talking about it, and tracking it themselves, now you have something.
The other thing I would say is this: give it a fighting chance.
Most business owners are too impatient with these things. They roll something out, do not see immediate traction, and want to change it before the team has had time to rally around it.
Give it 90 days. Keep it simple, make it clear, communicate it often, and make sure it is motivating without creating a profitability problem.
If you want the Team Bonus Best Practices one-page asset I highlighted in this week’s podcast episode, you can get it inside the Rainmaker to Architect Toolkit at blueprintos.com/assets.
Lead well and go be great,
Bradley
