- Jerry Lee started his career at Google after graduating from Babson College.
- One of Lee's managers taught him to make a "Working With" manual to share with coworkers.
- Lee says that having such a document helps to reduce misunderstandings, especially for new joiners.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jerry Lee, 29, a former manager at Google and cofounder of Wonsulting, a career consulting company. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his education and employment history.
I first got the idea of making a "Working With" manual from an old supervisor I worked for when I joined Google.
My then-manager told me that one of the biggest problems teams face is a clash of working styles among their members.
He suggested putting together a list containing one's working style and preferences to minimize such clashes. The list can then be shared with managers and colleagues to set the right expectations upfront.
I took his suggestion and decided to make my own "Working With" manual based on my manager's copy.
At Google, there is an internal employee database where you can write a short description about yourself. I decided to put up my "Working With" manual there so that anyone could look it up when they looked me up internally.
Having a "Working With" manual is helpful for both individual contributors and managers
Having a "Working With" manual is helpful even as an individual contributor. It allows me to set the terms of how I would like to operate.
The biggest point of friction that I see teams face is that they just don't know how to operate with each other, especially when someone new comes in.
Having such a document lays out how you like to receive feedback, how you like to work, and the type of communicator you are. It also helps to minimize friction.
Understanding these things upfront will help align expectations within a team from the very beginning.
When I first shared my "Working With" manual with my Google coworkers, I received two types of feedback.
The first type of feedback, which is significantly more common, is that people were appreciative.
They would say, "Oh wow, that's really cool. I appreciate you sharing how you operate upfront."
The second type of feedback — they just said thanks, and didn't read the manual.
Honestly, I haven't received any criticism for sharing such a document. But I would be taken aback if that happened since I'm just sharing how I like to operate, hoping it reduces friction.
Some people prefer to share their working styles more casually, like in a one-on-one introductory meeting. While that is the default way for people to communicate their working preferences, it only helps you understand people from a higher, broader level.
When it comes to actually working with them, I think people would appreciate getting to know the minutiae of their colleagues' working styles.
I have also shared this document on social media and received mixed responses. One group wants to use it in their own teams, and another group calls me a "try-hard" for doing this.
Still, I'd rather over-communicate than under-communicate.
Not every industry may welcome it, but having a "Working With" manual is still good for self-reflection
That said, I want to caveat that having a "Working With" manual is still a general principle.
It may not apply universally to every corporate function or industry, particularly for more traditional industries like those working in professional services.
You need to understand the culture and vibe of each industry, company, or team before you jump in. If you are working in a place that is collaborative and where people are open-minded, then this is absolutely something you should consider doing.
I personally think that having a "Working With" manual is mandatory for all leaders.
For someone who has just joined a team, talking to their new manager and superiors can be intimidating. Having these documents would help leaders to humanize themselves a little bit.
Additionally, creating a manual will help you even if you don't share it externally.
Putting one together is a great self-reflection exercise for people to understand themselves and determine how they would design their ideal working environment.
If you're making your own "Working With" manual, keep it short and simple
When creating your "Working With" manual, the most important thing is to keep it to a single page. You don't want to give 16 pages to people and say, "Hey, read it."
Instead, you want to make it quick and simple so that people will understand. For my manual, I try to keep every bullet point to a maximum of two or three lines.
People can always ask me follow-up questions if there's anything they don't understand.
That's the ethos and principle behind having such a document. You don't have to share your entire life story, only what's most relevant to you.