My User Guide | A Guide to Jeff Gibbard

How to Use This User Guide

This guide is for helping you work with me more effectively. Think of it as an instruction manual for collaboration. Nothing in this guide is an excuse — it’s an explanation. It is a troubleshooting guide and a tool for understanding. When used properly, we can work together better, have better conversations, and avoid unnecessary friction.

If we are going to build something together, coach together, or spend time in a room solving problems, this document gives you the context you need to understand:

• Why I do what I do — my underlying motivations and hard-wired behaviors
• When I'm at my best — the conditions that unlock my full potential
• When things might get tricky — my stress triggers and what to do when you spot them
• How to communicate with me — what works, what does not, and why it matters

Who This Is For

• People I work with directly: clients, collaborators, team members
• People I am coaching or consulting: so you know how I think and operate
• People leading or managing me
• Anyone trying to understand how my brain works, especially around neurodivergence

How to Read It

Please do not try to memorize this. Skim it once so you know what is here, then come back to specific sections when you need them.

• Having a conflict? → Look at Communication and When I am Stressed.
• Planning a project together? → Look at Strengths and Weaknesses and How I Work Best.
• Trying to figure out why I reacted a certain way? → Look at Triggers and Behavioral Factors.

When in Doubt, Ask

If something in here does not make sense, ask me about it. If something seems off, tell me. This is a living document, and I update it as I learn more about myself.