Why Every Leader Needs a User Guide (And How to Create Yours)

One of my favorite questions to ask other managers is: “What do you wish your team just knew about working with you?”

The answers are almost always insightful—things like:

• “I process information best in writing, so I prefer Slack over impromptu calls.”
• “I get quiet when I’m stressed, but I don’t want people to assume something is wrong.”
• “I move fast. If I forget to loop you in, please flag it—I won’t take it personally.”

Every leader has their quirks, preferences, and ways of working. The problem? Most of this is learned the hard way—through miscommunication, mismatched expectations, and unnecessary friction.

? ? ? That’s where a Leadership User Guide comes in.

Before we dive in, I want to credit and thank my direct report Jamison MacKillop with introducing this concept to me through his own user guide, and one of my managers, Glenn Veil with introducing the concept of defining and sharing your own Leadership Mission / Vision / Values.

What’s in a Leadership User Guide?

A Leadership User guide is essentially a personal operating manual for how you work as a leader. It’s a document that outlines your values, communication style, decision-making approach, stress behaviors, and expectations for collaboration. The goal is to give your team a clear understanding of how to work effectively with you, reducing guesswork and fostering transparency.

It helps answer key questions like:

• How do you prefer to receive information?
• What are your pet peeves or stress triggers?
• What motivates you and drives your leadership style?
• How do you approach feedback and conflict?
• What do you expect from your team, and what can they expect from you?

By sharing this guide, you create a foundation of trust, encourage open communication, and empower your team to navigate working with you more efficiently. It also helps you reflect on and refine your leadership style.

Wanting something more specific? Here is a snippet from my own Leadership User Guide

?? My Background ??

I’ve lived in Wyoming for about ten years now, where I’m based with my husband and our son. We live in a small town with a strong community of young professionals, and I’ve been lucky to build a life where I can be present for my family while pursuing my career goals.

Before that, I spent my childhood moving between four states and two countries overseas. That experience shaped how I see the world—I love meeting people with different perspectives, I’m adaptable to change (usually!), and I work hard to make people feel welcome, especially in digital spaces.

Fun facts about me:

• I love getting outside any chance I get—XC skiing, hiking, and camping.
• I wind down at night with a mix of Bravo shows and non-fiction books.
• My unicorn space is running a micro-bakery! I grew up baking with my mom, and it’s my favorite creative outlet.

?? Vision & Values ??

At work, my vision is for my team to:

? Know exactly what “winning” looks like each week.

? Use their strengths in meaningful ways.

? Have a clear path for growth and development (if that’s what they want!).

? Encounter fewer unnecessary obstacles in their work.

My values as a leader are:

• Curiosity – Always asking, “What else could be true?”
• Empathy – Understanding perspectives before making assumptions.
• Accountability – We do what we say we will.
• Humor – Work should be fun when possible!
• Growth – Always improving, individually and as a team.

?? The Way I Work ??

How I Think & Communicate If you’re familiar with DISC profiles, I’m a C/D hybrid, meaning I focus on efficiency and logic but bring an interpersonal, collaborative approach. When solving problems, I default to:

? Efficient results

? Analytical thinking

? Data-driven decisions

This means I think in bullet points (literally) and appreciate concise updates with:

• The situation
• The problem
• Your take on it

I’m happy to dive into brainstorms later, but I process best with a structured starting point.

What do I do with it? Should I give it to my team?

Maybe! This is up to you - you could send this actual document to your team. You could present your Leadership User Guide in a team meeting, or you could even just document this yourself so that you can better manage yourself and clarify these important points to your team over time.

Know that this will be ever evolving.

?? Create a check-in with yourself every six months or so to see what you might need to adjust, add, or take away.

?? Ask your team! Is there something missing? Are there patterns, trends, or ways of operating they have observed about you that are important to note?

Want to Create Your Own?

I’ve shared my full own Leadership User Guide (including my stress behaviors, FUN) on Substack as a template you can use for your own, in addition to an e-mail or Slack script you can use if you do want to share it with you team. If you create one, I’d love to hear about it—drop a comment or send me a message!

What’s one thing you wish your manager would have included in the past in your Leadership User Guide? Or if we worked together, what's something I should have included?? Let’s discuss below! ??