FYI;
This blueprint is an in-depth questionnaire that can be used between manager + report. I used this once for one report and found it too long to get through, but it was still valuable to use to get to know the person, how they work, and their ideal communication style. I’d probably just take questions here and there.
Take your time writing answers to these questions. Think about the past year at Shopify when jotting your thoughts down. We will use this as a blueprint for growth!
Discovery
What are the qualities you value most in a leader (not a Lead necessarily)?
What skills do you have today that make you a strong leader?
Between craft expertise, business acumen, product experience vision, and trust, where do you feel most confident? Where do you feel the least confident? Why?
What are 3 things that you are already uniquely equipped to bring to your team and projects?
What are the things you do in your role today that allow you to make the biggest impact?
What skills have helped you get to where you are?
What skill would you most like to develop to increase your impact?
What are 1 to 3 (or more) things you could do to develop that skill?
What do you spend time on today that you would like to do less?
What do you excel at today that you could teach others?
What AMA-style questions do you have for me around growth, confidence, craft, etc? [YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE FOR ANYTHING YOU WANT HERE]
Emotional Literacy
Pick one of the emotions from the Core Emotions List that is hard for you–one that shows up in difficult ways at work.
| Core Emotions |
|---|
| Anxious |
| Belonging |
| Blame |
| Curious |
| Disappointed |
| Disgust |
| Embarrassment |
| Empathy |
| Excited |
| Fear-Scared |
| Frustrated |
| Gratitude |
| Grief |
| Guilt |
| Happy |
| Humiliation |
| Hurt |
Answer the following questions when thinking about the emotion you chose.
When I experience XXXXXXXX
- I’m feeling:
Affect or Emotion - Where am I physically feeling this? How’s my body responding?
- I’m thinking:
Cognition - Is there a thought constantly looping in my mind? What’s my go-to thought process?
- I do/I act:
Behavior – What’s the first thing I want to do? What is the only thing I want to do?
Particles
- When should we plan meetings?
How often should we talk?
-
How should we handle changes?
-
How do we want to communicate with each other?
What we should know about each other
-
What do I want my impact to be?
-
What is my leadership style?
-
What are my strengths as a mentor/mentee?
Conflict
-
What I know upsets me is…
-
When I feel hurt I…
-
What do we do when we are upset with each other?
-
How I like to hear feedback is…
-
What am I committed to when conflict is present?
Celebration
-
When will we celebrate?
-
How will we celebrate?
-
What does success mean to you?
-
What could be important about us consistently celebrating each other?
Keeping the Relationship Healthy
-
How often will we check in on our designed alliance?
-
Where will we keep this document?