from miscommunication to momentum: turning quirks into wins
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We spend a lot of time helping leaders get better at understanding others.
But what if one of the most effective moves is making yourself easier to understand?
That’s the idea behind a deceptively simple tool we’ve created, the “How to Work With Me” guide.
It’s not a personality test.
It’s not a communication framework.
It’s a document that helps teammates articulate their rhythms, quirks, and needs before they become friction points.
Assumption is the enemy of alignment.
Even high-performing teams get tripped up by invisible expectations:
A teammate doesn’t reply to Slack until after lunch. Are they disengaged or just deep in focused work?
Someone always asks tough questions in meetings. Are they being difficult or are they clarifying the big picture?
A peer gives blunt feedback. Are they unkind or just efficient?
The answer? It depends.
And that’s exactly the problem.
When we don’t make our working styles visible, we leave room for interpretation.
And unchecked interpretation often becomes unnecessary conflict.
Self-awareness is powerful.
Shared self-awareness is transformational.
The “How to Work With Me” guide brings emotional intelligence into the operational layer.
It helps team members clarify:
When they do their best work
How they prefer to communicate and when they don’t
What energizes or drains them
Their pet peeves, feedback preferences, and misunderstood quirks
How to help them do their best work
The CEO of a fully remote team implemented this approach, and almost immediately - communication, collaboration, and problem-solving began to improve.
The “How to Work With Me” guide is now a core part of their team onboarding and leadership development process - because when people have the language and permission to truly understand one another, teams operate more effectively and companies thrive.
Why this tool works
It gives people the confidence to be specific and proactive about how they work. It replaces assumptions with clarity and fosters a culture of transparency.
And it builds the kind of operational trust that prevents delays, confusion, and misalignment.
It’s one of the lowest effort - highest impact ways to boost team performance - and lower the emotional tax of collaboration.
Want to try it with your team?
Grab the free “How to Work With Me” template here
It takes 15 minutes to fill out, but the clarity it creates, lasts.
Let me know what resonates, or better yet, forward this article to a teammate you enjoy working with 😉
Cheers,
Marty Imes
Founding Partner
