A Manual of Me is a document which includes professional and personal information about an individual. It might include a simple ‘about me’ section, details on working hours and locations, information on personality type or even details about an individuals preferred working style, how they prefer to receive feedback or even their passions inside and outside of the workplace.
It’s a way for team members to write down the things that are important to them, which they believe will help other team members better understand them – eventually creating a culture within which everyone is able to work comfortably together.
According to the concept creator Matthew Knight:
“A Manual of Me is a simple but powerful concept to communicate to others what you need in order to do your best work, what you bring to a project, how you need support, how you work - and what needs to be true for you to thrive.
At its heart - it's a simple document which lists an individual's preferences and working styles. But beyond that, it's a powerful way to create space, time and support for people to share their differences, create inclusion and connection - and most critically, build stronger and more human relationships with each other.”
This is a concept designed to help improve the modern workplace through ensuring teams have the ability to be open and honest with each other. For example, if a team member prefers to receive straight forward and honest feedback, you as a business leader can do that by utilising the Manual of Me concept. Likewise, if you have a team member who prefers feedback to be dealt with sensitively, the Manual of Me helps to make that possible and ensures everyone involved is able to communicate effectively.
