CONTEXT
Hot take: Most workplace drama isn't about big personality clashes or major disagreements. It's about tiny, quiet, mismatched expectations that compound over time.
Jessica prefers quick calls over long email chains. Harvey thinks better out loud and needs meetings to process. Mike wants feedback immediately, not saved up for your monthly one-on-ones. (Yes, all of my example names are characters from the show Suits. 😂)
The problem? Nobody talks about their work preferences or sets boundaries until someone gets frustrated.
That's why I'm obsessed with this simple exercise from a brilliant leader named Claire Hughes Johnson when she joined Stripe.
It’s a "Work With Me” Manual.
These 6 simple questions eliminate 90% of workplace friction before it starts.
METHOD
In your next team meeting, go around the table and have each person answer these.
(Managers? You go first. The courage to share your own work preferences first creates psychological safety for others around the table to be honest about theirs.)
1. What's the best way to reach you?
Example: "I don’t like meetings that could have been an email. For anything urgent, text me. For quick questions, ping me. For complex discussions, I prefer a 15-minute phone call over back-and-forth emails."
2. How do you like to get feedback?
Example: "I like getting direct, specific feedback in real time with examples. For bigger issues, I prefer processing it in writing first, then meeting to discuss."
3. What are your best working hours?
Example: "I'm most focused from 9-11 AM, so I try to protect that time for deep work. I prefer meetings after 12 PM when possible."
4. What's your preferred meeting style?
Example: "I'm introverted, so I love when agendas and pre-reads are sent ahead of time. I also like having an AI notetaker in calls to document action items."
5. What drains your energy fastest?
Example: "I struggle with context switching. I'm happy to be interrupted for truly urgent things, but otherwise a ping works better than tapping my shoulder."
6. What skills are you working on?
Example: "I'm working on being more concise in meetings. I also want to get better at giving feedback in the moment rather than saving it up."
Have everyone write down their answers. Then compile them into a shared document that the whole team can reference in the future.
WHY IT WORKS
The magic isn't in the questions themselves—it's in making the invisible visible.
The best way to avoid team burnout? It’s to help people work in alignment with their natural rhythms. Those boundaries will prevent exhaustion before it starts.
The 15 minutes you spend on this exercise will save you hours of miscommunication, frustration, and awkward conversations.
Try it in your next team meeting. (Thank me later.)
Btw, this is especially useful for hybrid teams. I put all 5 of my best tips for remote workers in my LinkedIn post today and I’m getting the kindest DMs from all of you about it!
Enjoyed this? Forward it to a manager who should do this with their team. ❤️ And read the other newsletters from The Quiet Rich here.
Until next week,
Jade
P.S. Want to dive deeper on becoming a world-class communicator? I highly recommend the book Order Out of Chaos by my friend, Scott Walker. (Here’s the link if you’re outside the US.)
I met Scott when he joined my private coaching program (Archimedes). He grew to 13,000 LinkedIn followers in a few months, launched his book which became a Sunday Times Bestseller, and is now landing keynotes and workshops with his dream clients. It’s not about his number of followers. It’s about his quality of followers.
The next Archimedes program starts July 28th. (If you apply + check out before July 4th, you’ll get $500 off.) We’re fondly calling this our “bias for action” discount. The world rewards people who have a bias for action. And so do we. Apply here (it takes 3 minutes). I hope to meet you in a few weeks.
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