I started a rather large project a few months ago. It’s got a lot of elements and moving parts. I sat down at the very beginning and outlined the steps. I considered the pros and cons of the various ways to approach the project. I researched the vendors I would need and made comparisons. I wrote down my reasoning for each choice. I also dated each one of these pages so I can see the evolution of my thinking on various issues. And I’ve kept all those notes. Here they are.
As I work through the various steps, I sometimes come to a point where I don’t remember what I had decided or what the options were. Then I go back and rifle through all those sheets of hand-written notes to find out.
I have found that writing all this down, rather than typing it into a Word document has two benefits. First, it is always faster to jot something down on a pad than it is to wake up your device, open the app and start typing.
Second, there is no need to organize. I learned long ago that it is better to have one thick folder than a bunch of folders indexed by categories I can’t remember. Sure, it takes a few extra seconds to flip through some pages, but if you dated them, you have a chronology to work from.
So, why do I share all this? Seems like common sense, right? But in this crazy and distracting world, do you have the focus and discipline to make sure you’re recording your decisions in a way you can reference at a later time?
I have colleagues who write in a diary. I’ve interviewed leaders who maintain a series of yellow pads, each on a different topic or area of responsibility. I’ve seen others who do the same sort of thing in a series of notebooks, like these.
As a leader, what process do you follow to ensure you’re not reinventing wheels or spending time reconsidering options because you don’t remember what your reasoning was when you spent a bunch of time on it previously?
Can you change your mind after having consulted what you decided before? Certainly. But maintaining a record of decisions and reasoning as you work on various projects prevents you from ending up in a maddening circle of researching all over again what you had researched in the first place.
These notes also help those around you. Have you ever worked for someone who keeps changing directions in midstream? I have. On Monday, we’re going one way and on Thursday we seem to be reversing course. If you survey people in the workplace, you’ll find that one of their biggest complaints is leadership inconsistency. This turns into wasted time and energy and, of course, an erosion of trust.
Besides, do you really want to be the person who says to the boss, “Excuse me, but a few days ago you told us something totally different.” I certainly don’t. You certainly don’t. Nobody does. Sure, we may be right, but it still embarrasses the boss. So, most people just go along with following the new direction and squandering the organization’s time and energy. After all, they’re still getting paid, right? I know that sounds kind of cynical. But it’s awfully close to the truth in too many cases.
Truth be told, it takes a confident leader to admit inconsistencies. I don’t know too many confident bosses these days. Do you?
So if you’re the leader, it’s up to you to provide clear directions and stick with them. Recording your decisions helps remind you of your reasoning, especially when some bright shiny object comes along and you start questioning your direction. More than once, I’ve been tempted to change horses because the person with a new idea is so persuasive. Chances are, you have too. As a leader, I can’t afford to let this happen. It costs time. It usually costs money and, over time it begins to cost you credibility.
So, once again, what method do you use to record your reasoning and decisions? Put them in the comments below. We’d all like to know.