READMEs

Everybody in the company has a README (authentication required). We link out from our Slack profiles. Being a remote first team, it is a great way to get to know your team mates better. Some insights we gained from READMEs were:

  • We learned we were pronouncing some people's name wrong

  • For some of us English isn't our first language, and we need time to gather words

  • We may be hard of hearing and need your camera turned on for lip reading

  • Some of us are newer to Slack and are learning how to find things

  • Some of us are night owls

  • More than half of us are parents to children or fur children

  • A lot of us have imposter syndrome

This is our blank template to prompt team members when filling out theirs👇

SixPivot README Template

About me Common things people might like to know about you. Where you live, hobbies, pets/kids you might have, what you do when you're not working. Feel free to include pictures.

About my job Some insight into my role and what I hope to achieve.

Flexible working Do you prefer to work in the afternoons? Do you duck out during the day and jump back later on at night? Do you do the school runs and prefer not to have meetings at those times. Do you have a commitment every Tuesday afternoon and not work those times?

Communicating with me What are you preferred comms methods? eg. phone calls for important stuff, Teams meetings preferred etc. Share how you maintain your work boundaries eg. turn off notifications, not installed on phone, replying the next day etc.

How I work What are your default assumptions about people and their intentions? What mindsets do you have and which do you hope other people adopt when working together on the team? What things trigger you?

1-on-1s What style of 1-on-1s do you want? Informal conversational/structured/PD driven. What do you hope to get out of 1-on-1s?

Feedback What type of feedback do you want? Are you comfortable with people being direct with you? How do you prefer to give feedback? How do you expect your team to react to feedback?

Asking for help How do you ask for help? Are you comfortable asking for help in open Slack channels? How can people tell if you need help? eg. I get a bit quiet and withdraw, I work longer hours, I am moody/anxious etc. How does it make you feel when people offer you help?

My quirks Describe your personality eg. sometimes I get shy in big groups, I often am told I am too loud but I'm just excited, I sometimes get anxious and think about an interaction for longer than I should, I usually think of a better idea later and will send it to you after the meeting etc.

Note: all prompts are optional, they are in place to help guide if you've drawn a blank or need examples 😄

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