The Most Important Tool

What's the most important tool for leadership and learning? Let me share a recent story. A friend of mine, Steve, who owns a retail store chain, approached me with a concern. During his Friday afternoon meetings with his leadership team, the same few people were always dominating the conversation, while others remained silent. Steve worried that valuable ideas were being lost because some team members weren't participating as much, despite having excellent insights. He tried various strategies, but he was at his wit's end. The solution for Steve turned out to be surprisingly simple. What was the solution? Well, you guessed it – it started with a pen.

Now, let's explore why this seemingly simple instrument holds such a profound significance for leaders, and how it is key to our signature ACE it! Method.

To Spur Creativity, Use a Pen

Creativity is extremely important to the ACE it! Method, especially in the 'Creation' phase. This is the brainstorming phase. It's all about coming up with new and unique ideas. Think of it like this: creativity in the ACE it! framework isn't just throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. It's more about letting your thoughts run wild and then organizing them in a system. You want to mix and match different ideas, find links between things that don't seem to connect, and look at problems from many different angles.

Care about Creativity in Leadership and Learning? Grab a Pen!

For creativity to flourish in brainstorming sessions, silence and reflection are as important as activated discussion. Here, the pen becomes an essential tool. Instead of jumping into a conversation, participants are encouraged to first jot down their ideas independently. In our experience, this generates a wider array of ideas and reduces the pull toward groupthink.

Silence allows for the germination of original thoughts, unhindered by the influence of others' opinions. Research on "brainwriting" supports the idea. In a study by Paul Paulus and Huei-Chuan Yang, groups whose members wrote their ideas down and passed them around generated more ideas than the same number of people working alone.¹ By first writing down ideas, we give each person room to think before the group reacts. The pen, in this scenario, acts as a catalyst for independent thought, paving the way for more innovative and unique solutions.

Great Teams Use Pens

In successful teamwork, research points to a crucial factor: balanced communication where every voice is heard. An often overlooked, but powerful tool in achieving this is the humble pen. In meetings, when a question is posed, the rush to respond can lead to dominant voices overshadowing the quieter ones. This is where the pen comes into play.

Encouraging team members to first write down their thoughts supports a more democratic and inclusive discussion. This method helps capture diverse perspectives, allowing even the more reserved individuals to contribute meaningfully. Anita Woolley and her colleagues found that groups in which conversational turns were more evenly distributed tended to score higher on a measure of collective intelligence, a group's general ability to perform a wide range of tasks.² By equipping each member with a pen and time to reflect, we create an environment where every thought counts, fostering a balanced and effective team dynamic.

The Pen as a Thinking Tool

Does writing by hand help us remember? The picture is more nuanced than many headlines suggest. In a well-known 2014 study, Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer found that students who typed their notes on laptops tended to copy lectures word for word, and in some of their experiments did worse on conceptual questions than students who wrote by hand.³ Later replications by Kayla Morehead, John Dunlosky and Katherine Rawson (2019) and by Heather Urry and colleagues (2021) found no reliable difference between the two methods.⁴ ⁵

What the research does suggest is that how we take notes matters more than the tool. Notes in our own words, rather than verbatim transcripts, tend to go with better understanding. For many of us, the pen helps with exactly that: it slows us down enough to select, summarize and think.

An old Chinese saying captures the practical side: "The faintest ink is mightier than the best memory." When leaders make a habit of writing down notes, ideas and summaries, they preserve what matters and give themselves something to think with. A page of handwritten notes often becomes a thinking tool in its own right, a place to organize ideas and see connections.

"The faintest ink is mightier than the best memory."

A Personal Touch in Communication

In a digital workplace, a handwritten note stands out. Such notes are not just words inked on paper; they are tangible expressions of sincerity and thoughtfulness, an art form that, while seemingly eclipsed by the speed of digital communication, holds an irreplaceable value.

"Handwriting is more connected to the movement of the heart," writes Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones. Her words beautifully capture the essence of a handwritten message. For leaders, the act of picking up a pen and pouring thoughts onto paper is a gesture that resonates deeply, fostering stronger, more personal connections with regard to leadership and learning. It's an embodiment of appreciation, a quality that, alongside creativity, curiosity, and clarity, often remains underutilized in the corporate world.

A handwritten note doesn't negate the power of a digital thank you; rather, it adds a layer of personal touch, a hint of nostalgia, and a dash of unexpected delight.

A Call to Action: Grab a Pen

The pen is a fundamental instrument for leadership and learning. Its ability to support creativity, balance the conversation in a room, help us think clearly and add a personal touch makes it indispensable in the toolkit of any effective leader. In almost every organization I've encountered, elements like appreciation, creativity, and curiosity are remarkably underused.

Call to Action for everyone in Leadership and Learning: Grab a pen!

A pen can work wonders in all of these areas. So, the next time you're about to start a meeting, a project, or simply want to express gratitude, remember the power of a pen. It's more than just an instrument for writing; it's a tool for change, connection, and creativity. Embracing this simple but profound tool can have a remarkable impact. Harnessing this potential starts with picking up the pen.

After all, it's the most important tool for leadership and learning.

Sources

¹ Paulus, P. B., & Yang, H.-C. (2000). Idea generation in groups: A basis for creativity in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82(1), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.2000.2888

² Woolley, A. W., Chabris, C. F., Pentland, A., Hashmi, N., & Malone, T. W. (2010). Evidence for a collective intelligence factor in the performance of human groups. Science, 330(6004), 686–688. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1193147

³ Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581

⁴ Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J., & Rawson, K. A. (2019). How much mightier is the pen than the keyboard for note-taking? A replication and extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014). Educational Psychology Review, 31, 753–780.

⁵ Urry, H. L., et al. (2021). Don't ditch the laptop just yet: A direct replication of Mueller and Oppenheimer's (2014) Study 1 plus mini meta-analyses across similar studies. Psychological Science, 32(3), 326–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620965541

Goldberg, N. (1986). Writing down the bones: Freeing the writer within. Shambhala.

Further reading:

  1. Susan Cain. "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." Crown Publishing Group, 2012. This book delves into the power and potential of introverts in a society that often prioritizes extroversion.
  2. Dan Roam. "The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures." Portfolio, 2008. Roam discusses how simple drawings on a napkin can be a powerful tool for problem-solving and sharing ideas.
  3. Philip Hensher. "The Missing Ink: The Lost Art of Handwriting." Faber & Faber, 2012. This book explores the history and importance of handwriting as a personal and cultural expression.
  4. Tony Buzan. "Use Both Sides of Your Brain: New Mind-Mapping Techniques, Third Edition." Plume, 1991. Buzan introduces mind-mapping techniques that help in harnessing creativity and organizing thoughts effectively.
  5. Kendra Cherry. "The Everything Psychology Book: Explore the Human Psyche and Understand Why We Do the Things We Do." Adams Media, 2010. This book provides an accessible overview of psychological principles, including aspects related to memory and cognition.
  6. Comparison of Handwriting and Typing: Handwriting with a digital pen and tablet can increase the ability to learn compared to keyboard typing, especially once individuals are accustomed to it (Ihara et al., 2021). Writing with a digital pen may improve learning relative to the use of an ink pen for those familiar with its use (Osugi et al., 2019).