The Power of Paper Trails
Adekunbi Bello
Dear Founder,
Accountability is an essential trait in leaders, but it can be challenging to develop. Autonomous teams may need help taking responsibility and following through on commitments. However, documentation is making a comeback as a way to increase accountability.
Writing things down creates a paper trail, which can help individuals and groups keep track of their commitments and decisions. This can also increase transparency within the organisation.
Log in Live and Show Your Work
Many industries have protocols for documenting details in real-time, but knowledge worker industries like marketing and technology have been resistant to this practice. However, it is possible to combine agility with shared notes. Writing down goals, essential information, and initial thoughts before meetings and live documenting major action items and decisions during meetings can lead to better accountability. After the meeting, it’s vital to outline decisions and distribute the next steps. Real-time capture reduces the risk of misaligned memories of outcomes or vague rationales for decisions.
Own It: Accountability Starts with Authorship
Accountability requires actors to be willing to take responsibility for their actions and analyses. Even with real-time logging, it can be tempting to let documentation feel disembodied. Therefore, it’s crucial to identify who owns which piece of the plan, product, or policy as it unfolds. Contributors should put their names beside their contributions and check in frequently via updates or commenting functions on documents. Documentation only feels bureaucratic when it needs more humanity and authorship. Therefore, it’s essential to personalise accountability by signing your name and taking ownership of your commitments.
Check-in frequently via updates or the commenting function on documents
With logging as our dashboard, documentation keeps organisations running smoothly. Creating a paper trail leads to collective responsibility for outcomes and transparency around how and why decisions shape strategies.
It builds trust among team members to own their respective roles.
Fortunately, there are now many options for seamless documentation, such as collaboration hubs like Slack and Asana, video conference platforms like Zoom and Meet, innovative sheet solutions, and workflow documentation apps like Pipefy, Procesio, and Koala. These tools simplify documenting key actions, decisions, and responsibilities.
So long!
Kunbi
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