My operating manual

Table of Contents

At PwC, we have a concept called an “Operating Manual”. It’s a guide for how we work, and how we expect others to work with us. It’s a living document that we update as we learn and grow.

I’ve decided to create my own Operating Manual. It’s a work in progress, but I’m sharing it now because I think it’s important to be transparent about how I work.

My Operating Manual #

My values #

Trust. If you are on my team, I trust you. Lead with trust that others have the skills and knowledge to do their job.
Ownership. I value those who take ownership of their work. I take ownership for my work.
Learning. I will always be learning. I expect you to always be learning. Lean into the discomfort of learning. Read more.

My strengths #

I am:

Driven. I am driven to succeed. I am driven to learn. I am driven to improve.
Passionate. I am passionate about my work. I am passionate about my team.
Curious. I am curious about how things work. I am curious about how I can improve.
Intelligent. I am intelligent. I am able to learn new things quickly.

My weaknesses #

Passion can be mistaken for anger. I am not angry, I am passionate. Do not mistake my passion for anger.
I can be blunt. I am direct. I will tell you what I think. I will not sugar coat it. I will not beat around the bush. I will tell you what I think.
I can be impatient. I am impatient. I want to get things done. I want to move fast. I want to learn. I want to improve. I want to succeed.

How I work #

Leading. I will lead by example. I will lead by doing.
Managing. I can be a manager, but I prefer to be a leader.
Coaching. I coach by guiding but not by doing. I believe teaching is a better way for others to learn. I expect you to learn by doing.
Advising. I will advise you on what I think is best. I will not tell you what to do, but I do expect you to listen to my advice.

How I communicate #

I am direct. I will tell you what I think. I will not sugar coat it. This can come across as blunt, but understand I want the best for you.
I am honest. I will be honest with you. I expect you to be honest with me.
I am open. I will share my thoughts, experiences, knowledge, and opinions.

How I make decisions #

I am data-driven. I will make decisions based on data. If there isn’t enough data, I will make a decision based on my experience.
I am outcome-focused. I will make decisions based on the outcome. It may not be immediately obvious, but I expect you trust I am making the right decision for the outcome.
I am customer-centric. I put the customer first. There is not business without the customer.

My expectations of others #

I expect you to be honest. I expect you to be honest with me. I expect you to be honest with others.
I expect you to be open. I expect you to share your thoughts, experiences, knowledge, and opinions.
I expect you to be data-driven. I expect you to make decisions based on data. If there isn’t enough data, I expect you to make a decision based on your experience.
I expect you to be outcome-focused. I expect you to make decisions based on the outcome. It may not be immediately obvious, but I expect you trust I am making the right decision for the outcome.
I expect you to be customer-centric. I expect you to put the customer first. There is not business without the customer.

Although I may have strong opinions, I am always open to being proven wrong. I expect you to be open to being proven wrong too.

Remember, I may be direct, but this is not a personal attack. I want the best for my team. I want the best for you.

My Operating Manual #

This is a living document. I will update it as I learn and grow.