I am a big believer in writing...

Writing stuff down...

Writing down goals...

Writing down thoughts...

We were working through some strategic discussions that were causing some of our team pause, and we are set to "talk" about it tomorrow.

I decided to write down my thoughts, and I realized how valuable writing is for me. In a world where we write in 140 characters at a time, we don't write letters anymore, we don't write often... we also think in trunkated thoughts, in incomplete thoughts....

Writing allows us space to think. It forces us to put those thoughts into coherent words and sentences and build an argument in our own minds that leads us to a conclusion. I know it's not rocket science, I am just suggesting it is becoming a lost art... or a fading discipline.

I miss writing when I don't.

I wrote down my thoughts about this strategic initiative and I am better prepared to discuss it. I am still open to moving in a different direction, but am clearer on why doing things a certain way is so compelling to me in an instinctual way.

Jeff Bezos forces all of his executive team (and possibly everyone at Amazon) to write down in narrative form any idea they want to present, any recommendation they want to make to the company. He forbids them to use Powerpoint, because he feels like Powerpoint allows you to be "lazy" with your thoughts. There is something to that.

We saw the play "Hamilton" the other day (which was awesome), and you realize how important writing was in the history of the world. It was those who could write who ruled the world. Writing captured history, redefined civilization, evolved religion and philosophy. Writing was (and is) power.

Perhaps it is the lack, or the reduced discipline, of writing these days that makes thoughtful debate so rare. Perhaps it is the lack of writing complete thoughts that makes it so easy to disagree. Perhaps it is the lack of writing that makes us "lazy" with our positions, less likely to consider or understand those who disagree with us, and so much harder to build on what we think we know, or what we believe.

I still believe powerpoint is an impactful presentation tool, but it is so when the points shared are summaries of thoughtful points, not when they are incomplete thoughts floating on the screen.

Our abbreviated thoughts should be just that. To be meaningful, we must understand the background and context of our short form. And, it is much harder to fully flush out our thoughts in our minds, than it is on paper. it is a lost art... but it is an art & a discipline nonetheless.

Writing is a discipline that promotes thinking...

It encourages clarity and completeness.

And, in today's world, I think embracing it, gives you a competitive edge...

not just to possibly convincing others of something,

but more importantly, of helping us be clear with ourselves,

as to what we believe,

and why we believe it.

In order to improve upon anything, we must understand it first. And, writing helps us understand our own minds...