Episode 3

full
Published on:

15th Apr 2026

Why Don’t People Come With User’s Manuals?

In this solo episode, Jason introduces a practical team exercise called the personal user's manual. The concept is simple. It's a way for each person on a team to document how they work best so their teammates don't have to guess.

We have instructions for nearly everything we own. But when it comes to the people we work with every day, there's no guide. No clear way to know how someone prefers to communicate, when they're focused and offline, what kind of feedback lands well for them, or what quietly drives them up the wall. That gap creates unnecessary friction. The personal user's manual is a low-effort, high-value practice that closes it.

Key highlights from the conversation include

👉 What a personal user's manual is and how Jason first came across the practice more than 15 years ago

👉 The core categories worth including in a team template: work schedule and style, communication preferences, feedback and recognition, strengths, and personal pet peeves

👉 Why recognition preferences are more personal than most leaders assume and how asking the right question upfront saves a lot of awkwardness late

👉 A clear walkthrough of how to run the practice, from building a template to hosting a team conversation where people can ask questions and get curious about each other

👉 The specific team situations where this tends to have the biggest payoff, including newer teams, teams navigating change, and managers stepping into a role for the first time.

Additional resources for Personal Users Manuals:

https://slack.com/blog/collaboration/how-personal-operating-manuals-can-help-you-build-a-stronger-team-at-work

https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/my-user-manual?tab=instructions

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About the Podcast

Unlocking High Performance
How leaders unlock performance by creating the conditions for people to do their best work
Unlocking High Performance is a podcast for leaders who want strong results without burning their people out in the process.

Hosted by Jason Lauritsen, the show explores how clarity, alignment, and connection shape performance at work. Jason draws from his work with CEOs, executive teams, and leaders to examine why work so often becomes heavier, slower, and more frustrating than it needs to be and how to fix it.

Some episodes are solo reflections. Others are conversations with leaders and practitioners navigating real constraints and consequences. Each conversation looks beyond tactics to understand the leadership and organizational conditions that make performance possible.

The podcast focuses on the systems that drive performance, not leadership theory or quick fixes. Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of how work actually gets done and how to build environments where people perform at their best.

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Jason Lauritsen