The One-Page Instruction Manual That Will Transform Your Team Dynamics

Voices in Leadership PodcastPublished November 25, 2025Imagine if every person on your team came with an instruction manual. Not a 50-page personality assessment or a complex behavioral profile – just one page answering: How do I work best with you?

This simple yet powerful idea came from Adam Kingl during our Voices in Leadership conversation, and it addresses one of the most common struggles for new managers: figuring out what makes each team member tick.

The First-Time Manager's Dilemma

When asked what first-time managers wish they knew, Kingl often hears: "I only wish I knew how to work with others, like what's important to them."

His solution is brilliantly straightforward: "Have you asked your team to write an instruction manual? Ask each person in your team to write their own instruction manual for working with me."

What should be in this one-page manual? Kingl suggests:

• What gets me excited

• What I hate

• My triggers – when you notice me getting upset, it's often because...

• How I prefer to communicate

• What I need to do my best work

Think of it as everyone's IKEA assembly instructions for collaboration.

Why This Works

The beauty of this approach is multi-layered:

It saves time. Instead of months of trial-and-error figuring out what makes someone frustrated or energized, you have a reference guide from day one.

It promotes self-awareness. Writing your own instruction manual requires reflection. What are my triggers? What conditions help me thrive? Many people haven't articulated these things even to themselves.

It builds mutual understanding. When team members share their manuals with each other (not just with their manager), it creates empathy and reduces friction.

It signals psychological safety. When a manager asks for an instruction manual, they're saying: "I want to work with you in the way that works best for you." That's a powerful message of respect and inclusion.

Making It Real

The instruction manual pairs perfectly with another of Kingl's recommendations: At the very beginning when someone joins your team, ask them what they most want to get from your organization and how you can help them achieve it.

This transforms traditional onboarding from a one-way information dump about company policies and procedures into a genuine two-way conversation about mutual success.

"Often, orientation initiatives for new employees are very one-way," Kingl observes. "We're going to tell you everything about the company, all of our processes, all of our history, but very, very little about 'tell us about you.'"

The Challenge

For managers reading this: Will you ask your team to write their instruction manuals this week? Will you write your own and share it first, modeling the vulnerability and self-awareness you're asking of others?

It's one page. One simple exercise. But it might just be the key to unlocking more effective collaboration, reducing conflict, and helping every person on your team show up as their best self.

After all, we don't expect people to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions. Why do we expect them to work together without them?

https://voicesinleadership.live/episode/bridging-generational-gaps-what-does-gen-z-want-from-us