Wanted

SCRIBBLE

NOTES

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When on the move a scrap of notepaper is

far more effective than a laptop

It’s a great challenge to capture the words you want

to recall. Use any old paper for this purpose.

During a keynote talk (at the Institute

of Director’s Annual Conference at the

Royal Albert Hall, London, on 27 April

1993) Sir Richard Branson, founder of

the Virgin Group, stressed the

importance of carrying a notebook.

Like many other inspirational leaders

he is a keen listener and prepared to

learn from his customers and

employees alike. He argued that unless you jot something

important down you risk losing the valuable information

forever.

Without pen and notepaper handy there is a risk that a key

message goes in one ear and out the other. The valuable things

that people say then get lost and are not acted upon, let alone

kept for future reference.

In my opinion a scrap of paper (or notepad) is far more effective

than any portable laptop. It is so easy to use. You don’t need to

boot it up before capturing the word of the moment! You can

use pen and paper on a train, a plane or even when waiting to

pay at the checkout. You can readily scribble down the name of

the front-liner who gives you excellent service and then

subsequently drop an email to her boss. You can jot down a

telephone number on a promotional poster for future follow-up.

You can list people to contact over the next few days or you can

note down titles of books recommended to you. If you hear a

Your memory is far

less effective in

capturing key

information than a

simple jot in a

notepad

memorable quote a blank sheet of paper is invaluable

for capturing it. You can even write down any important ideas

you have!

The discipline of note taking will enhance the information

available to you in improving your performance on the job as

well as developing your career. You can use your laptop later to

transcribe the notes and get them into actionable order.

I am always surprised by the large number of people who do not

practise note taking. I am currently staying in a hotel where the

service is a little lacking. I ask to see the duty manager. He comes

along and I give him some feedback that I hope he will find

helpful. But then I observe that he does not take notes of what I

am saying. He just nods, smiles, says ‘Yes’ and ‘Thank you for

letting me know’ and disappears.

The very first time I attended a presentation by Tom Peters (the

co-author of the 1982 business classic In Search of Excellence

1

and

one of the world’s leading business speakers) I returned home

with 20 pages of notes. I typed them up afterwards and because

of these notes I can still refer to the key lessons 20 years later. We

should not rely on memory alone.

Memory is fallible unless you are a genius such as Shakuntala

Devi, known as the human computer and who calls herself

India’s ‘Maths ambassador’. She has such a phenomenal memory

that she can undertake amazingly large mathematical calcula-

tions in her head. Most of us are not like her, indeed we are quite

forgetful. Yesterday I was introduced to a new neighbour’s wife.

Instantly I forgot her name. How dreadful! I used to know the

daughter of the late entertainer known as the ‘memory man’,

whose speciality was memorising key sports results going back

115

Scribble Notes

1

In Search of Excellence, Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jnr, Harper & Row, 1982

116

wa nte d

decades. But for weeks I could not recall his name. (Actually it

was Lesley Welch.) Aid your memory with a scrap of notepaper

and a pen.

PRA C T I CA L TI P S

G

Colour up your life by having seven different pocket-size

notebooks, with seven different colours for each day of

the week.

G

Get into the habit of carrying a notepad and pen with you all

the time. You never know when you are going to need it. (I

find the notepads provided in most hotel rooms invaluable

for this purpose.)

G

Devote half an hour at the end of every week (or at the end of

the day) to transcribing key notes into the ‘notes file’ on your

computer. Keep these notes files for ever.

G

Refer to your notes periodically so that you can reinforce the

key lessons.