2-Minute Soft Skill Drills — Make a “How to Work with Me Guide”

Want to revolutionize how you work together with others? Create a “How to Work with Me Guide!” I came across this concept back in 2016 by David Politis, founder and CEO at BetterCloud, and then also in a recent 2020 LinkedIn post by the former VP of Product Design at Facebook, Julie Zhuo.

Here’s what Julie Zhuo had to say about using them:

“A user guide for a person creates clarity on how you work — what you value, how you look at problems, what your blind spots or areas of growth are, and how to build trust with you.”

Essentially, you’re helping people gain a better understanding of how to work with you. First, you look inward and write the guide focused on questions about you. Next, you answer questions about how you interact with others to give them a better idea of what to expect.

Now, what exactly do you do with this new guide about you? This becomes a document you can give to your manager, a client, or the people you work closest with on your team. And, if you’re a manager, you can give it to your direct reports.

Julie Zhuo continues:

“The most effective user guides contain snippets that might make you feel vulnerable, like you're letting the team see you unplugged, in your PJs with rumpled hair. But vulnerability is the secret ingredient to trust.”

It’s a fun exercise, trust me, but more importantly, it will help others have a better experience of you! As Julie Zhuo points out, yes, something like this is going to make us feel and experience vulnerability, but vulnerability is the key to unlocking trust in any relationship.