My User Manual

Get people’s working preferences out in the open early to help remove friction between team members. A user manual creates an environment that promotes healthy working relationships.

“Culture is not in ‘support’ of strategy; it is strategy.”, Adam Bryant

Works well with One-To-One for more effective conversations.

1. Before the meeting, have each team member complete a rough draft of their user manual to share with the team. Give them the following prompts to help:
   • My best working patterns look like...
   • My absolute requirements to do great work are...
   • The best way to give me feedback is...
   • When I’m dealing with stress, I...
   • Beyond work, I’m really passionate about...
2. Split the team into pairs. Get them to spend five minutes asking questions about each other’s manual.
3. In turns, ask each person to talk about their partner’s manual for 1 minute. They could talk about: something that was new to them, something they have in common or something they like.
4. Use what you learn here to guide your One-To-Ones and use Team Charter to connect the wider team.
5. Refine then share your manuals in an open space, such as your email signature or internal org chart.

Tips: when new people start, ask them to create a user manual in their first 90 days. Share user manuals when kicking off a new project.