Are you one of those people who reads “User Manuals” when you get a new piece of technology? Maybe you did some experimenting but eventually looked at the user manual for your computer,printer or camera. Perhaps, by using the “manual” you were able to use your technology faster, more efficiently and with less frustration.
Reframe the “manual” concept and imagine a “User Manual for Leaders and Teams”. David Politis, Founder and CEO of BetterCloud, shared this idea with Adam Bryant of the New York Times. Bryant’s article summarized the concept in his article “The CEO’s User Manual”. The concept is simple but very powerful. A new CEO writes a “user manual” on how to work with him/her. In this manual, the CEO might reference the best way to communicate with him/her, what drives him/her nuts, and perhaps even how the CEO likes to receive feedback. This one page document is shared with everyone on the leadership team. Immediately, there is no guessing and there is an opportunity to connect more quickly with the CEO to ensure success.
What if you take the concept one more step and everyone in the organization has a page in the User Manual? Meet Third Plateau, a social impact strategy firm. They are leading the way with adopting a team user manual.
Third Plateaus’ core values are 1) Step up 2) Change Up and 3)Learn Up. The team operates at an “A” “game intensity with an entrepreneurial mindset”. They “relentlessly pursue excellence and refuse to accept the status quo”. The team takes “smart risks, pushes themselves and thinks expansively”. New employees are welcomed into the company by reading the Team’s user manual and adding a page of their own. A friend of mine works at this company and immediately felt a level of honesty, integrity and deep connection to the team.
I recently shared the user manual idea with a mortgage firm in Santa Barbara CA. After a Strengths-Based Leadership team workshop, the employees were invited to write a ” team user manual”. The CEO’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm recognizing this was a way to celebrate strengths, enhance communication, clarify goals, and understand employee motivation and energy. The team is currently writing their individual pages for their use manual. Their goal is use the manual to build a deeper appreciation of each others talents and strengths while increasing engagement, energy and connection.
Perhaps you’d like to try a user manual. How would you answer these questions?
- What are some honest, unfiltered things about you?
- What drives you nuts?
- What are your quirks?
- How can people earn an extra gold star with you?
- What qualities do you particularly value in people who work with you?
- What are some things that people might misunderstand about you that you should clarify?
The second set are focused on how the individual acts with others.
- How do you coach people to do their best work and develop their talents?
- What’s the best way to communicate with you?
- What’s the best way to convince you to do something?
- How do you like to give feedback?
- How do you like to get feedback?
How might a user manual help your team? Let me know what you think.
