Back in 1994, I started my first company. The automated, electronic reminders did not exist then. I, therefore, started using notebooks to record the discussions and action points from various meetings. Later, I created different notebooks for different purposes and segregated my notes. That habit has continued for over 3 decades now. Today, I have 7-8 notebooks in play at any point in time. I find them convenient, even when compared to the technology solutions available today.
Preparing the meeting agenda and circulating minutes is a chore. Everybody hates it. Because of my habit of taking notes, this responsibility fell in my lap in every organization I worked for. Initially, I thought that this menial task was a degradation of my position. However, I soon realized its benefits. For preparing the agenda of a meeting, I sat with people several levels above me. As they deliberated on the points to be included in the discussions, I got a preview of the company's priorities. Invariably, the less critical topics get pushed to the bottom of the lineup. Since I continued to work in the field, people from top management asked my views on these topics. They wanted inputs from the ground level.
I attended board meetings as an invitee, especially for preparing minutes and circulating it. I followed up on the action points. I realized that most of the organization's problems stem from inaction. Even people at senior levels procrastinate. Many action-items remain pending meeting after meeting. The person who prepares the minutes automatically gets a certain level of authority. He can question people several levels above him.
Many times actions are taken superficially just to close the open points. I learned that more damage happens due to inaction than due to the repercussion of an action gone wrong. I understood the virtue of taking smaller steps and implementing them quickly.
Metrics:
Attend as many meetings as possible. On average, attend at least one meeting every day.
Volunteer to prepare the agenda, and circulate the minutes for all meetings you attend.
Take as many notes as possible. Use one notebook for every topic.
Share your notes with your leads/customers. They love it. It helps you and the customer reach an agreement on the issues and the actions planned to resolve them.
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