James Comeys memo shows us why we need to take notes

James Comeys memo shows us why we need to take notesJames Comeys memo shows us why we need to take notesLast Tuesday, James Comey was fired from his role as F.B.I. Director. Within a week, it emerged that Comey had kept notes of every interaction he had with his boss, the president.In an explosive report on Tuesday, The New York Times revealed thatComey had allegedly been writing detailed memos of his conversations to keep a paper trail, which could not only save his reputation but also provide powerful proof of troublesome communications that could tangle up the presidency for months. Comeys memo could be ruinous to the presidents ability to stave off further investigation.Write down whats important, every dayThis is all coming to light because Comey kept good notes. He has long been a diligent note-taker of sensitive conversations. During the Bush administration, he kept notes of a famous showdown about warrantless government surveillance and he usedhis emails to colleagues as docu mented proof of his objection to the White Houses use of torture.Our own notes may not become memoranda for the record or a matter of national security, but managers and employees can learn from Comey on how to take betternotes.Even if you dont think something untoward is happening, good notes help you remember how you handled major problems and reviewing them later could offer useful insights on what your companys leadership is looking for.Do it while your memory is still freshFor Comey, what bolsters his credibility is that hes writing these memos shortly after the conversations happen, not weeks after they occurred. The timestamps are helpful in court too.One former top FBI official told the Times that the fact that he wrote it when it happened lends weight to it. Its not like he wrote something last weekend and backdated it.Write, dont typeDuring the Bush administration, Comey was known for typing his meeting notes on his BlackBerry. For the rest of us, we recommend writing by h and because it helps us retain mora information than typing.When it comes to remembering things, science has found that the pen is mightier than the screen. According to a2014 study,students who took longhand notes were able to remember more complex information than students taking notes on laptops.Keep records of whats not saidHarvard Business Review recommendsnote-taking during meetings, becauseit can make us better listeners of what happens in those meetings. In these margin notes, you dont just document what was said, you keep track of who said what when, as well as broader themes and team dynamics.This could mean keeping notes of nonverbal behavior and body language. Why did so-and-so avoid eye contact? Where did people sit in the room? These could be interpersonal questions to bring up in one-on-ones.Doing this helps us connect the dots more clearly, whether were an FBI director keeping a paper trail or an employee trying to make sense of a meeting.