If you don't have a ways of working with document as a leader your probably should. Here’s my old version. Copy it, change it, etc. It’s yours!
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​Also before you press control C. I just want to highlight my coaching cohort starts in September. Transform your leadership skills, executive communication, political navigation and get more visible in your organisation. You can find out more here.​

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Yasar: How to Work With Me

Version: 3rd Edition,

Date: December 2023

Organisation: X

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Dear Team,

As we continue to evolve and grow in our roles, I want to share a concise guide on how we can work most effectively together. My aim is to foster an environment where communication is clear, goals are aligned, and our team culture thrives.
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​My Role and Goals:

As global VP, my primary goal is to ensure the long-term health and effectiveness of our X plans.

My tasks include:

1. Securing XXX health,
2. Setting global strategy,
3. Challenging the status quo,
4. Attracting top talent,
5. Shaping our culture
6. Fostering a global mindset.

Communication and Urgency:

For urgent matters, reach out via Email, Slack, or call. I am almost always accessible through these channels.

Expect responses to simple queries within 24 hours. For complex matters requiring in-depth review, responses may take longer.

• Slack is the equivalent of walking over to my desk/office and asking a quick question in person.
• Email or long-read Gsheets are much preferred when it comes to discussing content or something with substance where context is required.
• Email or Gsheets also make it much easier to articulate thoughts, annotate conversations, forward them to other relevant people and to archive conversations in order to pick them up again later.

Meetings and Preparation:

Our time together is valuable - I like to pre-read to make the most of the Facetime we have and come prepared. Send over documents 1-3 days before, 24 hours at the latest. Meetings with me are not to read presentations or decks for the first time. It’s the time to discuss anything I didn’t understand in the pre-reading or as answers to my questions and, most importantly, to agree on the next steps. I learn and understand better when reading, not so much by listening. I have a very broad span of topics I collaborate on with different colleagues, and context switching is hard. Hence, preparation is really important to me to be a great collaborator for you.

Expectations and Escalation:

Early escalation is key. If deadlines are at risk or if there are significant roadblocks, inform me promptly.

I encourage you to challenge viewpoints and offer solutions, considering global impacts and potential.

• Early escalation: Raise red flags or delays early: deadlines are serious, and meetings with senior stakeholders are very costly and hence, a knock-on effect on other meetings must be avoided since they require a lot of rescheduling.
  • Ownership: I ultimately feel responsible for everything we do at X and for every failure that we encounter. In almost all cases, it’s my responsibility to assign the right talent to the respective tasks and provide enough resources, give you the right context for decision-making and challenge the individuals we have in place to understand if we will be successful. This is the driver of my continuous auditing of what everyone does and if we are on track to meet our objectives, not because I don’t trust someone.

1-on-1 Meetings:

If we have a recurring 1-1 scheduled, this is mostly the opportunity for you to engage in problem-solving, and surface current challenges as well as to discuss longer-term priorities such as building healthy teams, or strategy. It should not evolve into a simple update meeting; we can do that mostly asynchronously. 1-1s should always come with a tracker and accompanying notes so we can follow the progress and have documentation available.

• Note down and track tasks independently. Since we are a big group, this is very important to me. So please make sure you do not miss things that have been discussed, follow up on them, and use the time we have to really understand the task at hand. I will always be as specific as possible.
• Adhere to agreed deadlines - So that there are no surprises. It is extremely important to me and a sign of respect to keep committed deadlines and hence allow for easing up planning on both sides. Of course, there might be situations when you cannot keep deadlines, but in that case, please inform me sufficiently in advance. You can expect the same from me.
• Expect Cancellations - If there is no advance agenda or topics, I will assume that we do not have any items to talk about and cancel the meeting. I will always add my items 24 hours in advance; if unsure, always message me on Slack to confirm.

Working Style and Culture:

I value direct feedback and a culture of appreciation. Respect and recognition for effort and dedication are paramount.

• Domain Expertise over Seniority: I try not to get involved with your direct reports and respect reporting lines. BUT: fundamentally understanding something is worth more to me than observing reporting lines, i.e. I’d rather you tell me that speaking to the more junior but more domain-experienced person is the way to go. This is evidence of leadership and true self-reflection, not weakness
• Challenging your point of view: By the nature of my role, I will often have the best bird’s eye view on what is happening across teams, countries and departments: that’s why I am usually in a good position to challenge your thinking, not because I am necessarily smarter or want to poke a hole in it without good reason. Don’t be offended or feel threatened by me challenging your assumptions. It is one of my key jobs to make sure you’ve thought of everything and provide you with the right context for decision-making.

Practical Aspects:

• My working hours are typically between 9 am and 6 pm. Early mornings are more ideal for me.
• I am offline between 6 pm UK Time and 8:30 pm UK Time for family time but available for urgent matters outside these hours until late night.
• I won’t be responding to emails during vacations or mornings if ill but will catch up or be available for urgent matters as needed.

Team Collaboration:

Support each other, especially in onboarding new team members and managing workload. Communicate openly and respectfully, share knowledge, and operate as a cohesive unit. Avoid withholding information or working in silos. Our strength lies in our collective effort.

• Self-Organization: I plan my meetings and organise my calendar myself. I do so c. 2-3 weeks ahead. With my planning horizon, it tends to be easy to get ahold of me on short notice. Still, I also prioritise whether something really requires a physical meeting or a Hangouts conversation or can preferably be dealt with in an asynchronous way, i.e. by commenting in a deck communicating via email or Slack.
• Working in a pull model. This means reaching out to people if you need help and advice proactively – do not assume others will ask you for it nor me.
• Have Fun. For me, I spend most of my time working, I want to build relationships with my colleagues and be able to enjoy our discussions. Having fun is about being lighthearted and not taking everything so seriously. I dont :) You can expect me to try to make bad dad jokes regularly.
• Be Social. I am naturally an introvert and will always try to be more overt in ensuring we spend as much time on team building and trust building. Occasionally, we can get lost in the work. Please do take charge in case you have a great idea to get us more social. You can expect my full support.
• Ask and Ask again. Learning does not have to be always on the job. If you are interested in a scenario or idea, let’s talk about it if you want to know how to build a D&I program or consequence management techniques, or even technical methods for negotiation like the 100 E of Value. I am here to help.

Best,

Yasar