How can we work together well?

A colleague asked me to do a post about avoiding misunderstandings and problems in student-supervisor relationships. One thing I have found extremely helpful and effective is for anyone I supervise (postdocs and students) to write out and discuss a list of expectations. What we expect of each other and of ourselves. One of my Ph.D students, Elvis Shoko, kindly agreed to allow me to post the document he drafted. The idea of "win/win performance agreements" is discussed in Habit 4 of The 7 Habits of highly effective people: restoring the character ethic by Stephen R. Covey.