This document outlines a Best-Self Kickoff meeting between employees and their direct managers. The purpose is to clarify expectations, strengthen relationships, and understand each other's needs. It provides templates for managers and employees to fill out individually before meeting to discuss topics like role clarity, performance expectations, accountability, company culture, communication styles, career goals, and areas for growth. The goal is to set employees up for success and ensure both parties fully understand what is required in the role.

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This completed template then serves as a clearly
documented agreement by both parties to the
expectations of the role and of each other.
The Best-Self Kickoff is a chance for managers to
provide complete role clarity to their employees,
which paves the way for psychological safety in the
workplace and is a key factor of high performing
teams. Psychological safety is the foundation of
strong professional relationships and is defined
as the belief that your environment is safe for
interpersonal risk taking.
Leaders can work to further create this type of
environment by asking the right questions on a
regular basis and applying actions to those insights.
Use this meeting to create a strong foundation from
the get-go.
15Five’s Best-Self Kickoff is a meeting between
employees and their direct managers designed to
clarify expectations, strengthen the bond, and to
understand each other’s respective needs. In addition
to setting new-hires up for success, the Best-Self
Kickoff can also be conducted when team members
transition onto a new team, start working with a new
manager, or move into a new role.
It begins by each person filling out this interactive
template which will then be used as a guide for the
in-person discussion. It’s recommended to set aside
30 minutes to an hour to fill out the template before
the Best- Self Kickoff meeting, and be sure to capture
important points that come up during the discussion
that weren’t originally documented.
Best-Self Kickoff
Ensure that there is a complete, up-to-date job description for this role. Review it together and confirm that the
title, duties, skills, and ability requirements are clear. Update the job description together if needed. If there are
daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly metrics that need to be achieved in this role, ensure that these are clearly
understood and documented, including the consequences that can be expected if metrics are not met.
Part 1 Role Clarity and Company/ Team Expectations
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
Name
Job Title/Role
Date
Contact:
Equinox Partners Ltd
Metro City Business Center
51, Alexander Malinov Blvd
Sofia, Bulgaria
Plamen Petrov
plamen.petrov@equinox-partners.bg
+359 899 826 714
Your name here
Job Title/Role here
Date here
Text Your response here

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When you leave this meeting, you will have total clarity on what success will look like in this role. In this section,
confirm specific performance expectations, skill acquisition expectations, and project/goal expectations for the
first three months, six months, and year in the position (hopefully these are already documented clearly in the
Job Description). Agree on what bad, mediocre, and excellent performance looks like. Paint a picture of the
milestones that need to be hit and by when so that you both can confidently assess performance based on what
is documented here and in the job description.
PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
Review the accountability structure that is in place and discuss how team members are held accountable on
your team. How can your team members demonstrate self-accountability? What can they expect from you as the
manager when it comes to accountability?
ACCOUNTABILITY
Manager’s Response
Manager’s Response
Go over any important company-wide policies, cultural norms, or guidelines together and confirm each other’s
understanding and agreement. Please also review your company’s vision and mission and share a few examples
of what behaviors demonstrate or do not demonstrate those values (especially ones that are important to you
and your team).
For Example:
- We arrive early/on time to all meetings
- We prioritize “Clearing Conversations” whenever
things feel off
COMPANY NORMS & EXPECTATIONS
Employee’s Response
Employee’s Response
Your response here Your response here
Your response here
Your response here
Your response here

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Share some cultural expectations that you have for your team as it relates to communication, behavior, and
culture. Be sure to document behaviors that are not tolerated or that are damaging to team morale/cohesion.
Example of behaviors we expect:
- Saying no when needed, when stretched too thin
TEAM CULTURE AND BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
Introduce your company’s management structure. Communicate the importance of consistency around practices
such as Weekly Check-ins, OKR tracking, quarterly Best-Self Reviews, and regular career discussions.
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
Employee’s Response
Employee’s Response
Manager’s Response
Manager’s Response
Discuss the potential career path or growth opportunities on your team and what needs to be done to progress
through a path or create new opportunities. Set expectations and give the employee a clear vision of their career
opportunities within your company, including the realistic amount of time they need to be in the role to master it
and progress beyond it.
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
Example of behaviors that are not tolerated:
- Not accepting responsibility when mistakes are made
Part 2 Individual & Interpersonal Expectations
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
Discuss expectations that you have for your relationship. What is your ideal manager/employee relationship?
Do you have any pet peeves that are important for your new manager/direct report to know? Include negative
experiences from the past that you hope to avoid or that would be helpful to be aware of.
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Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
MOTIVATION
What are your main motivators? (Ex: money, recognition, growth, etc.)
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
FEEDBACK
How do you like to receive feedback—both positive and constructive? Manager, please share your
feedback style and cadence.
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
COMMUNICATION
Are you comfortable sharing how you are doing or feeling, or do you need to be asked?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
RECOGNITION
How do you like to be recognized? What is your work love language? (Public or private?)
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
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ZONE OF GENIUS
What type of work energizes you? What type of work drains you? What kind of work feels purposeful to you?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
STRESS
What are signs that you are really stressed? How do you de-stress in these moments? How would you like the
other person to support you when you are having a bad day?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
BELONGING
When it comes to inclusion and belonging, what do you need in order to achieve these feelings?
Anything important for me to know about you?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
CAREER GOALS
What are your big picture career goals? Where do you see yourself in 2-3 years? In 5 years?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
CORE NEEDS
What three things do you need to stay with this company?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
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NON-NEGOTIABLES
What are 1-2 things that would make you leave?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
CONTRIBUTION
What is a contribution you want to make that will benefit the team, the company, or our customers?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
BEST-SELF GROWTH
Where would you like to improve? What are a few things you are working on to be a better version of yourself?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
SKILLS
What skills do you want to develop?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
CURIOSITY
What else do you want to know about your manager? What do you want to know about your direct report?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
Your response here
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CONCERNS
What concerns or hesitations do you have?
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
GENERAL NOTES
Employee’s Response Manager’s Response
Your response here
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Your response here