contributed by James Ledoux [IT training consultant / travel enthusiast / dancing machine]


Never leave your cube empty-handed. This was Rule Número Uno that my manager-slash-mentor gave me when I was a Junior Consultant on my first Fortune 500 project. At the time, I was highly annoyed by this seemingly simple piece of advice, but later I came to recognize its value. This rule is golden for several reasons:

1) Appearances – Superficially, you look busier and more professional when traveling to and from meetings with a nice portfolio or notebook in hand. But on to deeper reasons…

2) To Dos - Meetings are full of action items and “to dos.” If you don't write them down, then there is a good chance you may forget them, which is the best way to lose chances for more responsibility –equally a more substantial title and more money - to come your way.

3) Reference - You can carry a copy of your calendar, status updates, and any important papers in case the need arises. And, believe me, the need will arise.

4) Idea Capture - You can grab hold of ideas as they occur to you. Thoughts are fleeting, and that Brilliant Solution or Next Big Thing may get away if you don’t jot it down before it stalls out in one of your brain’s many synapses. (As you age, this just gets worse.)

5) Engagement – Let’s face it: meetings can be boring. Having something to keep you engaged as you take notes will help defray the monotony. It can also give you something useful to do. When meeting new folks, make a meeting map. It will help you remember everyone’s name later, and then you’ll really look like a star.

6) CYA [Cover Your A$$]– If you take clear notes, then you can use them to publish meeting minutes for future follow-up. Bosses and clients tend to forget things, so it is always handy to have timelines, expectations, and agreements recorded to which to refer. You’ll be oh-so-thankful later.


Work Style

Eleven years has passed since my mentor first shared the “never leave your cube empty-handed” jewel, and I still use it to this day. Your choice of what to carry will vary wildly depending on the culture of your company, the formality of the client and, of course, your personal style.

Depending on the setting, I’ll carry anything from a Hipster PDA, a Moleskin, a larger composition notebook, file folders, or a fancy portfolio. As I find them distracting, I don’t bring a laptop unless I need it to give a presentation.

Hopefully this advice will serve you as well as it has me. Worst-case scenario: The something you choose to carry with give something to prop your head up if you find yourself dozing off. But let’s hope it never comes to that.


More To Come

Stay tuned for future articles when I’ll write about the hot topics of effective note-taking, running productive meetings, and facilitating brainstorming sessions. You know you need it.