A user manual for me V3.0
This is an upgrade as I join Nottingham University Hospitals. Backwards compatibility with V2.0 is not guaranteed.
What is a User Manual for Me?
Manual of Me says it is “a simple document which helps you communicate your working preferences, motivations and needs, so we can all work better together.”
Cassie says: “There are lots of ways to build good teams and working relationships. … before you get to the relational matter of teams, platforms and systems, it’s important for people to know your preferences as an individual.”
So here goes….
Conditions I like to work in
- I find it hard to work in hot rooms, and love fresh air (windows open etc).
- I don’t care about a fixed desk. I’m happy to hotdesk anywhere. I just need a fast laptop, my headphones and an internet connection. If it is a standing desk, all the better.
- I like to have large screen real estate. I’ve found over the years that this impacts on my productivity. So much so, that I will defer some tasks until I have the right screen configuration.
The times/hours I like to work
- I’m an early bird. I’m much to prefer to be in work early and leave to have the evening at home compared to more time in bed.
- If I need to do work that requires detailed concentration, I do that best in the mornings
- I have worked from home one or two days a week for the last 10 years without any productivity impact. In fact, I do my best thinking at home.
- I don’t mind being contacted at any time, but there will be times when I turn off my work phone out of hours to manage personal interruptions.
The best ways to communicate with me
- I’m happy to use a mix of communication methods (face-to-face, phone, email, Teams, WhatsApp)
- I try and keep on top of my emails each week and usually respond within a few days at the latest, but this is becoming an increasing challenge.
- I try and keep my door open as much as I can. I like people popping their head round the door for a chat, on the understanding that I may defer them until a bit later.
The ways I like to receive feedback
- I am someone who always seeks to improve (see profiles below) and won’t always get everything right. So I really welcome feedback.
- I like receiving feedback face-to-face
- I see all feedback as a learning opportunity so I like any feedback to include specific examples and also actionable suggestions on how I / it could be better/different
Things I need
- Opportunities to collaborate and co-create stuff.
- Smart people to bounce ideas off who are happy to disagree with me in a constructive way.
- To work with people who do stuff (not just talk about doing stuff).
- Good collaboration tools.
- Being able to deliver, little, often and iterate.
- The ability to work from home 1 or 2 days a week.
- Did I mention lots of screen real estate?
Things I struggle with
- Meetings where everyone doesn’t get their voice heard — some of us need to reflect a bit before giving our views.
- An environment where people talk behind each others backs.
- Collaborating on a document via email attachments. Does. My. Head. In.
- Social events where the focus is solely on alcohol consumption.
- People who treat me differently due to hierarchy.
- Unkindness.
Things I love
- Sharing learning (either imparting or receiving). Books are my main source of substantive learning.
- Signs of continuous improvement.
- Being around creative, innovative people and trying to create the environment where they can try things out.
- Living the principle of Working In the Open by blogging and sharing my thoughts online. Main channels are Twitter, Mastondon, Medium and LinkedIn.
- Over the past couple of years I’ve realised it is my time to give something back, so offering coaching and mentoring conversations
Other things to know about me
- You won’t get the best answer from me if you put me on the spot. I need a bit of time to think about things.
- I find that I order my thoughts best by getting it out of my head and into a powerpoint deck. If I share that deck with you, it’s for comment and discussion, not as a finished article or my last word on the subject.
- I aim to stay true to my 14 year old-self who discovered electronics and fell in love with the possibilities that technology can offer.
- I enjoy cycling and playing 6-a-side football. I do both badly, but will talk about them a lot if you let me.
- I love coffee, but try and stay off caffeine. Don’t laugh if we are out and I order a decaf espresso.
Leadership Style
- I aspire to operate something along these lines.
My Results from various Profiling Tools
This may be being a bit too open, but going to give it a go. The following are extracts from various performance and pyschometric profiles I’ve completed over the past few years. I’m concious that these things can attempt to simply behaviour into a few categories, whereas in reality, we are more complex. However, as tools taken into this context, I’ve found them interesting in team building and developement.
Hogan Leadership Forecast [June 2019]
“The [Hogan] Leadership Forecast Series, provides an in-depth look at a leader’s performance capabilities, challenges, and core drivers.”
GC Index [Dec 2020]
“The GC Index profiles you procivities: the ways in which you feel most engaged and energised when it comes to making an impact on the world.”
“Your highest score suggests that your natural inclination is to take on the role of Polisher in teams and organisations. Polishers want to see things done well. When it matters most to them, they will be perfectionists. These qualities and inclinations typically lend themselves to innovation and continuous improvement. They take the view that things could be better and often have an eye for seeing the scope for improvements. In operations, this focus could be upon product development, processes, procedures or services. Polishers , at their best, can often give business a competitive advantage by focusing their talents upon the pursuit of perfection and excellence. Your lower score for the role of Implementer is consistent with the view that you may find it hard to settle for ‘good enough’ and want to challenge the tried and tested.”
Wave Professional Styles [Dec 2020]
“This report is based upon the [Saville Assessment] Styles assessment, which explores an individual’s motives, preferences, needs and talents in critical work areas. The results are based on a comparison with a group of over 7,000 senior managers and executives in the United Kingdom.”
Strength Deployment Inventory 2.0 [Jan 2023]
“Regions of the SDI 2.0 Triangle reflect what we each value most. Understanding your Core is important. And, because you have to work with others, the SDI 2.0 also provides a window into better understanding what drives them as well. Regions of the SDI 2.0 Triangle reflect what we each value most. Understanding your Core is important. And, because you have to work with others, the SDI 2.0 also provides a window into better understanding what drives them as well.”
