I enjoy knowing about my team members – what they like to eat, to do with their spare time, and how they want to be recognized. Over the years, I’ve used many methods to keep track of this information. Early on in my career, I kept small pieces of info about team members that I learned in passing or in brief conversations – names of loved ones (including pets), favorite foods, books s/he was reading, etc. It always helped when I wanted to recognize someone or convey my concern/excitement for the team member by sharing his concern or excitement for his loved ones.

Over time, I used individual “About You” sheets for team members, and I included it in team members’ on boarding processes. It’s a regular item I request from new-hires. I scan and save the digital file and pull it up whenever I need it, which is often as I like to recognize people or leave small, random thoughts and gifts of encouragement.

A few months ago I made my own About You sheet to match my style and include exactly what I wanted in the tool. There’s no use in me keeping it all to myself, so here’s a small gift – the About You sheet – for you and all those you oversee. Enjoy!