Hey, everybody, I want to spend a couple minutes talking about the importance of modeling behaviors. And I’ll take one example that I think there are a lot of different circumstances where we can think about as leaders, how we model behaviors.

At IBM right now, as we think about the cultural elements that we’re injecting into, you know, kind of the future of IBM, one of the things we talked about as leaders is how do we model a set of behaviors that kind of help set the tone that others follow. And I was reflecting back on a story I was recently telling about  when I was at Delta, we were getting into financial trouble after 9/11. And we had bankers coming in and giving us advice. And I remember one meeting, in particular, the CEO was in there, I was in there with a few others. And we had some advisors and bankers telling us, you know, kind of their thoughts about next steps and what we should do. And the CEO, who is an extraordinary person and an extraordinarily accomplished person, was scribbling notes, and scribbling notes, and scribbling notes and asking questions. And after he left, we were continuing the conversation, getting into more detail, and one of the banker says, “That was really extraordinary to see him scribbling notes.” And I was used to him doing that so I said, “What do you mean by that?” And he said, “You know, most senior leaders aren’t willing to take notes like that because that conveys there are things they don’t know, or things that they need to write down to remember.” And, you know, I reflected on that and thought, “Well, that’s kind of crazy because we’re all trying to learn things.” But I do think that’s something that a lot of leaders don’t do, or don’t want to convey that they don’t know things. And so I’ve really started taking that up after that and I found, you know, whether it’s in client meetings or other situations, people later on even remark, “Hey, you really cared, because you were sitting there taking notes.” And (a) I really find that it’s valuable, but (b) I do think that is a physical manifestation that you care about what someone is saying. So as a behavior, when we say as leaders we want to be open to feedback, we want to have a growth mindset, we want to learn from others. You know, it’s a small visual cue that not only helps you but I think importantly helps set the tone that you are listening, that you do care what people are saying. And if that’s a kind of an attribute that you can build more broadly into your team, you’re going a long way towards building the context that allows people to do their best work.

So just a thought of something to try. There are some people want to use an iPad or notepads. There are a lot of different ways to think about taking notes, but I encourage you to think about that as one small behavior that not only helps you be more effective, but does help set a tone for a team that, you know, dialogue is important and that you really do care what people are saying. Anyway, hope that helps. Talk to you again soon.

[To hear more of Jim’s views on culture and open leadership subscribe to his newsletter, “An Open Conversation with Jim”]  

Jesse Annan van der Meulen, Longitude fellow, Rice University:

Leaders, in whatever context that may be, not only carry a responsibility for a specific function but they also serve as an example, a guidance. Therefore, the things they do and the things they communicate to others often serve as an inspiration. The example that Jim gives about CEOs taking notes is a wonderful projection of how leaders can show their presence and engagement, while also taking a more vulnerable stance. Taking notes is not only beneficial to our own understanding of something, it conveys a message to others. It shows someone your interest, and your willingness to understand and listen, and it is perhaps even a sign of gratitude for the person you are listening to. Of course, taking notes is just one of many modelling behaviours that leaders can exhibit, but I particularly like this example because it is easy to implement and something we can all try out without much hassle.

When someone takes notes in a meeting it is only a sign of strength and being open-minded, it also shows that a person is present in the moment. After all, it is pretty hard to lose focus and think about the next thing you’re going to eat whilst taking notes.

I hope that this concept of taking notes will become more prevalent in different environments. How wonderful would it be if we all showed our appreciation for what everyone else was saying, simply by taking notes. Let’s not forget to draw the line between formal and informal conversations though. I’m not exactly waiting for my next date to bring a notebook.