Bring Paper - another Tom Peter's tip

As I have written before, there are many points made by Tom Peters that I don't agree with. For example, he starts the Re-imagine book with a "Made as Hell" prologue where he says,
"I happen to believe that all innovation comes, not from market research or carefully crafted focus groups, but from pissed-off people."

This quiet leader has a hard time believing that you have to be steamed in order to innovate. In fact I feel quite the contrary. I simply can't be creating or innovating when steamed.

However, a Tom Peters tip that I appreciate is also found in his success tips, #24.

Tom writes, "He/She who writes the Agenda and Summary Doc wields ... Incredible Power!" If you are attending a meeting you quietly benefit by bringing paper. The paper of course has an agenda, a proposal, an approach, anything that might allow you to control the agenda. Even if your thoughts are not fully formed, try passing out a discussion document that contains your "brainstorming." You will benefit with some control over the agenda.

When the meeting is over, volunteer to create summary notes. As Tom says, "
Only the meek & quiet Notetaker knows the story; and long after the participants have washed the memory of the meeting clean from their crowded lives, the Notetaker’s Summary comes along explaining what transpired ... Carefully Edited."

The moral of the story, "Bring paper."

Thanks for reading and please, lead quietly.

Don