Background

I received an email from The Looking Glass - Julie Zhou, in which she shared her user guide to working with herself. I want to create my version to reflect myself in a professional environment and what I actually expect from other people. Below is the template.

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Introduction

This user guide is an attempt to put my work style in written format. My work style will evolve over time as a result of changes in work environment and other life commitments. Hence, this writing is only a snapshot (if I can write down my thoughts correctly).

This user guide helps reveal the gap between my work style and others more clearly. Difference in work style is not something to be scared of. In fact, only when I’m aware of the difference, I can choose to close it or not.

How I view success

What does being good at your job mean to you? What are your values that underpin your understanding of success?

As a product manager, my responsibility is to:

• Make the right decisions for the product I’m in charge of. Any decision is a trade-off between customer, business and cost factors.
• Ensure my team is motivated and capable of delivering features that matter.

I’m aware that in order to get my work done, I have to influence people directly and indirectly. 

Regarding success, there are 2 types: personal success and professional success. Success to me is not an end state. It reflects my own set of values:

Personal success to me is:

• Learning tremendously in a reasonable time and being aware of what I actually learn.
• Learning can be hard skills or soft skills.
• Willing to make mistakes, but not the same mistake twice.

Professional success to me is:

• Work in a company that has good and sustainable performance.
• Understand how my team contributes to the company’s success now and in the future.

How I communicate

How have other people described your communication style? What have you gotten feedback about in the past? How should others interpret what you do or say? What do you struggle to express? How do you like to stay in sync with others (email, chat, in-person)? What’s your availability outside of work hours?

• I prefer concise communication. I believe everyone has different attention span and comprehension skill. Hence, conciseness prevents our brain to process unnecessary information. And if receivers don’t understand, conciseness saves time so they can ask questions. I also love conciseness in writting.
• I communicate verbally better when I prepare. Most of the time, if I’m a meeting host, I do my preparation: e.g. set up agenda, load tabs in advance, adjust window size, and write script (sometimes). As much as I can, I try to reach agreement in writing (by showing notes to my team) rather than a nod in a video call.
• In meetings where people don’t speak much and I require people to contribute. I will share materials in advance, request people to comment and follow up if they don’t. In meeting, I’m okay with silence as I think it’s so uncomfortable that someone will speak up eventually.
• In meetings where people tend to speak a lot or off-track, I use my notes (shared on the screen) or whiteboard to gear people back on track. Sometimes, I would cut people in the middle. I love conciseness and my weakness is I feel very uncomfortable when people don’t do the same.
• I usually paraphrase what people say to ensure what I understand is correct, and it’s a way to check if other people (not me and speaker) think differently. 
• I like to stay in-sync in chat/call for urgent matters and asynchronous most of the time as that forces people to be concise. Sometimes, call requires people to be impromptu so it can turn out to be a long-winded call.
• I struggle to express something that I don’t know deeply or I don’t understand. In that case, I usually say “I don’t know/ I need more time”.
• If I’m clouded by emotions (for whatever reasons), I struggle to control it in the meeting. I tend to stay silent in that case.
• I don’t like joining a meeting and don’t understand why I’m there.
• I don’t like working with people who command me and ask for “fake” feedback out of politeness.

Things I do that may annoy you

What’s the cause of misunderstandings that you’ve had in the past? What are some things about your style that other people have given you critical feedback on? What quirks or mannerisms might unintentionally annoy a different personality type?

• I may set aggressive timeline that makes people uncomfortable. I believe it’s the best way to move forward. Move and fail and move. Better than plan and move. I learn better through doing and not planning
• I am quite direct. My conciseness can sometimes be interpreted as lack of substance. I will try to be aware of my audience when I deliver my message. Again, conciseness doesn’t work with everyone. Some likes to hear a more story-telling version, some likes to be more concise. Conciseness is my thing and I accept there is a different in communications.
• I tend to not speak much in a meeting I don’t host and other members contribute (or rambling) actively. That is when uncomfortable feeling clouds me and prevents me from contributing. In that case, I either ask very direct question: “I’m sorry so what do we take away from this meeting?” or “I’m not sure what I have to do after this.”

What gains and loses my trust

What actions can a person take to gain your trust? Conversely, what triggers you? Triggers that gain my trust:

• Be on time: from present in meeting to delivering results
• Be professionally transparent with the intention to help us better
• Be concise in communications

Triggers than lose my trust:

Have other intentions that will not help the team better

• Command people with no good reasons or think that you’re better than me in thinking solutions
• Have no trust in me lol
• Blame others

My strengths

What do you love to do and are good at? What can you help others with?

• I love conciseness and I think I’m doing an OK job on that
• I’m good at helping my team to help achieve results, regardless what it is

My growth areas

What are your blind spots? What are you working on? What can others help you with?

• I tend to be concise so I might fail to see the good parts in a long-form communication.
• I’m working on stakeholder management (Difficult people, people with hidden agenda)
• I’m working on getting motivated for my job. I tend to feel bored quickly if I’m not learning something new

Additional Optional Sections:

What I expect from people I manage What do you consider a stellar job for someone who reports to you? What do you consider a mediocre or bad job? What’s unique about your expectations that may differ from other managers?

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How I give and receive feedback

What is your philosophy around feedback? What can others expect in receiving feedback from you? How would you prefer to receive feedback from others?

• Feedback has to be concise with examples. I don’t agree when people say “You suck” without showing me the examples and how they interpret these examples to the main point.
• I prefer to receive feedback in both written and then spoken formats. So that I can compare and look again later. Depending on how they deliver, words are not the true reflection of thoughts. What I try to take is not written feedback but more on what that person tries to deliver. That is beyond words.