Writing a user’s guide to working with you
Writing a user’s guide to working with you
How long does it take to get to know someone at work? Their habits, preferences, strengths and weaknesses?
In my experience, getting to know even a close internal partner can take many months or even years.
To forge high-impact partnerships outside your company you must first form great partnerships internally. To help, I wrote a user’s gude for working with me, a document I first learned about during a training at work a few years ago.
I begin this user’s guide with the purpose:
The purpose of this document is to give you some background on me and how I operate. My hope is that this makes it easier for us to do great work together.
When I sat down to write my user’s guide I did not know how to get started. I had difficulty finding detailed examples online. That is why I’m sharing with you my user’s guide below.
A few important things to note about my user’s guide:
I only share it with people I work closely with - manager, close peers, direct reports.
I do not ask them to write the same kind of document … but I encourage them to share with me how they work best.
I do not expect readers to review it thoroughly or remember the details.
Is it self-centered to write a “user’s guide” on how to work with me and expect my co-workers to read it? Maybe. But the alternative is to expect the people I spend so many hours with to figure me out on their own, like some kind of rubix cube.
The most important aspect of this document, to me, is the message it sends to the reader: I value our work together. I want you to understand me and I hope to understand you better so we can do great work together.
A User’s Guide to Working with Glen
The purpose of this document is to give you some background on me and how I operate. My hope is that this makes it easier for us to do great work together.
Some of my operating principles:
Lead with curiosity.
Quality over quantity.
Comfort is the enemy of growth.
Say what you mean. Do what you say.
Build (relationships) for the long-term.
What you should expect from me (and I will ask of you):
My focus on solving the problems we face together.
My commitment to follow-through on what I say.
My directness when we are not aligned.
My feedback on how we can be more effective.
My humor … because life is short.
Communicating - my priorities & energy-drainers:
Meetings
Purpose - I aim to share an agenda and purpose for any meeting. Please hold me to this.
Reflection - If you’re seeking a decision or input from me, a pre-read can really help me.
Energy-drainers:
Meetings for the sake of meetings.
Meeting ghosts - when attendee(s) don’t inform others they will be late or miss the meeting.
Written communication
Clarity & simplicity - I try to keep my emails short. More than one or two ideas is probably better handled in a meeting or a shared document where we can have a back and forth.
Collaboration - I generally find the best way to align people around an idea is through a shared document. If I share a document like this with you it is because I want you to collaborate with me - please add your feedback, ideas, suggestions, etc.
Responsiveness - for one-to-one messages, I try to respond the same business day or within 24 hrs with exceptions for travel and offsites.
Energy-drainers:
Email novels - too long
Email soapboxes - too many recipients / Reply All
Scheduling
My commitments to my family come first. As a result, I try to maintain the following boundaries at work:
Mornings - I try to limit calls before 8am or ideally 8:30am PT so that I can help get my kids ready for school and try to come into the day prepared.
Evenings - I reserve a time block in the evening, typically 6 - 8pm. This window varies so I don’t block it off on my calendar. I can be accessible after this window.
Weekends - I use weekends to reflect and recharge. I try to avoid sending emails on weekends. That said, I sometimes send emails on Sunday evenings as I gear up for the week ahead. If you receive an email from me on the weekend, you should not feel the need to reply to it during the weekend (unless I label it as time sensitive, which is very rare).
My areas for growth
I hope you’ll help me expand this incomplete list through your direct feedback:
Administration - I tend to move too fast and make administrative errors (e.g. neglect to add a zoom link to a meeting, fail to submit expenses on time).
Quick to judgment - I sometimes form opinions too quickly. I need to remind myself to be open and expansive before narrowing down options. Don’t hesitate to nudge me on this.
Double-edge swords - I strongly believe that for most of us, our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses. My inclusiveness and thoughtfulness, for example, can be assets but also liabilities.
My strengths
I consider my strengths to include my high-integrity, low ego, work ethic, curiosity, determination and listening skills. I also try to bring humor to work. Occasionally I succeed.
Personality type
From personality assessments (Myers-Briggs / Insights Discovery):
Sample strengths:
Democratic - will involve others.
Sensitive to the needs of others.
Strong sense of humor and fun.
Creative and future orientation visionary.
Weaknesses
May be perceived as too trusting.
Finds it difficult to concentrate on a single topic for long periods.
May ignore practicalities.
Vocally judgemental and critical.
About me
[This section is a handful of bullets with some background on me, hobbies, favorite books, etc.]
PS - If you’ve written your own user’s guide for working with you, please share it with me. I’m sure mine has room for improvement.
