The Leader Mindset #18

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Give Your Team the Gift of Clarity: The “How to Work with Me” Playbook

If you’ve followed my leadership writing, you know I am emphatic that a leader’s core responsibility is creating clarity around priorities, goals, expectations, and what success looks like. Yet, one critical area often gets overlooked: clarity about how to work with you, the leader. Your personal values, communication style, decision-making preferences, and even your quirks shape how your team collaborates with you. When left unspoken, they can breed confusion, slow progress, or create unnecessary tension.

Here’s a simple, yet transformative idea: create a “How to Work With Me” playbook. This guide eliminates the guesswork, enabling your team to understand you more quickly and work with you more effectively.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Throughout my career, I've moved to multiple leadership roles, yet I’ve never received a clear description from a manager outlining how they operate, what they expect, or how they make decisions. Instead, I had to decode them through trial and error, making awkward missteps and carefully observing interactions. Sound familiar?

For most employees, understanding their manager is one of the toughest and most anxiety-inducing parts of any role, especially a new one.

Why do we make it so hard? By leaving these dynamics to chance, we create friction that saps energy and delays results. A playbook changes that. It’s a shortcut that helps your team focus on their work, not on deciphering you.

When a Playbook Makes the Biggest Impact

A “How to Work With Me” guide can be a game-changer in key leadership moments. Here are five scenarios where it makes a meaningful difference:

• Leadership Transitions: When stepping into a new leadership role, your team will naturally wonder how you operate. A playbook helps set expectations early and accelerates trust-building.

• New Employee Onboarding: For new team members, the guide fast-tracks alignment and provides clarity on how to work with you effectively from day one.

• Organizational Change: During restructurings, strategic pivots, or shifts in leadership, a playbook reduces uncertainty and re-centers the team around your leadership approach.

• Performance Gaps or Team Friction: If communication is off or expectations aren’t being met, the guide offers a neutral tool to reset alignment and open up constructive dialogue.

• Remote or Hybrid Teams: For virtual or distributed teams, a playbook ensures clarity and consistency in how you collaborate, make decisions, and stay connected—regardless of distance.

What to Include in Your Playbook

Your playbook doesn’t need to be a polished corporate document. Here’s what to cover:

Strengths and Weaknesses: Share what you excel at and where you need support. This empowers your team to leverage your strengths and complement your gaps.

Leadership Values and Principles: What guides you as a leader? What are your non-negotiables? For example, you might value transparency, initiative, or creative problem-solving.

Work and Career Snapshot: A brief overview of your professional journey provides context for your perspective. Describe key experiences that have shaped your approach.

Communication Style: Are you a Slack enthusiast, an email purist, or a quick-call fan? Do you want early updates or just the highlights? Clarity here saves unnecessary frustration and prevents missteps.

Decision-Making Preferences: Do you lean on data, trust your gut, or seek consensus? Do you move fast or deliberate carefully? Help your team anticipate your process.

Pet Peeves: Be honest about what frustrates you—whether it’s unprepared meetings, vague updates, or last-minute chaos. This isn’t about venting; it’s about helping your team avoid pitfalls.

Personal Context (Optional): Sharing a bit about your life—family, hobbies, or passions—humanizes you. It can make you more approachable, especially for newer team members.

The Hidden Benefit: Clarity for You

Creating a playbook isn’t just a gift for your team—it’s a powerful exercise for you. As you write, you’ll grapple with questions like:

• What kind of leader am I, really?

• Does my reputation align with how I see myself?

• What do I want people to say about working with me?

This reflection helps you define your leadership brand intentionally. It’s a chance to step back, assess how you show up, and align your actions with your values. This self-awareness can spark meaningful growth.

Plus, a playbook evolves with you. As you gain experience or your team’s needs change, you can refine it, keeping it a living tool that reflects your leadership journey.

How to Build Your Playbook

Getting started is easier than you think. Begin by asking trusted peers, direct reports, mentors, etc. for input on the areas listed above. Then, set aside 30 minutes to brainstorm answers to those elements. Write as if you’re chatting with a new team member—keep it clear, authentic, and concise. Use the template below as a guide.

If you’re hesitant, ask yourself: Have I ever felt misunderstood, even when I thought I was clear? Do I see my team misaligned on my preferences or missing the mark? If the answer is yes, this is your chance to change the dynamic. A playbook signals you’re invested in their success and willing to meet them halfway.

The Bottom Line

Your team shouldn’t have to play detective to understand you. A “How to Work With Me” playbook removes the mystery, builds trust faster, and creates a healthier, more productive team dynamic. Don’t worry about being perfect—it’s about being transparent and human.

Give your team this gift. They’ll appreciate the clarity, and you’ll see the payoff in stronger relationships, smoother collaboration, and better results.

Let me know in the comments how it goes.

Free Resouces

Resource 1: “How to Work with Me” Template

Resource 2: Take Your Succession Planning to the Next Level: Six Questions Your Organization Must Answer (White Paper)

Andy Noon, PhD

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Andy