“How to work with me” template

What? A tool designed to foster a transparent, respectful, and collaborative working relationship.

When: Sharing your document with the interns during the internship’s first week.

Template and prompts: Start by reflecting on your working styles and preferences honestly using the questions and prompts below:

1. What would be amazing: Outline your vision of an ideal working environment and relationship with your team. Consider:

• What do I expect from team members? (e.g., responsibility, initiative, collaboration)

• What is my ideal way of working? (e.g., preferred working hours, project timelines, communication styles)

• What does success look like to me? (e.g., project outcomes, team growth, personal achievements)

• What’s important to me? (e.g., personal values, work ethics, team dynamics)

       2. How do I prefer to operate: Define how you work best and how others can support your workflow:

• How do I best process information? (e.g., visual, auditory, or kinesthetic; big-picture vs. detailed approach)
• How do I prefer to receive urgent updates? (e.g., immediate notifications, preferred follow-up procedures)
• What’s the best way to share information with me? (e.g., structured reports, meeting preferences)
• What are the best ways to communicate with me? (e.g., preferred platforms, best times to reach out)

       3. What would be lousy: Be honest about what doesn’t work well for you to prevent misunderstandings:

• What might I need your help with? (e.g., areas where you seek support, tasks you prefer delegating)

• How might I unintentionally frustrate you? (e.g., potential challenges in your working style, ways to address them)

• How might you unintentionally frustrate me? (e.g., common triggers, preferred conflict resolution methods)

Creating this document helps set clear expectations, foster collaboration, and ensure a smooth working relationship.