Memory is (at best) an imperfect device. I was once advised that "if you don't write it down, then it never really happened". With this in mind, good notes that are taken contemporaneously with the meeting or event, will become the "proof" of your actions; the actions and statements of other participants; and will serve to memorialize the specifics of the meeting or event. #DouglasA.Fineberg
Example: I was involved in a business relationship where the counter-party often refused to memorialize agreements, strategy and plans. His approach was that "trust" was the most important factor in a business partnership and that trust should not be reduced to writings on a paper. This idea (while exemplary in its underpinning) struct me as a recipe for a future misunderstanding. I memorialized every meeting (contemporaneously), and I documented our business strategies (including amendments) accurately and referenced to actual facts, documents, contracts and 3rd party memo's. Some time later, the relationship "soured" and was headed toward contention (and litigation) as we attempted to negotiate its ending. In an effort to prove my contentions, I organized every relevant document that spoke to our business relationship and appended to those contracts and agreements, my notes (dated) from each meeting and telephone conference. When presented with the factual evidence, the contention was vitiated and we were able to settle our business relationship without anger or litigation.
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