To: Michael Lopp (aka "Rands in Repose"),

I'm now retired from the tech world, with 24 years as an "individual contributor" under my belt. Worked as a software engineer, field support specialist, developed and delivered new product training, even a brief, informal stint as a program manager for a mini-program/project. Though the Rands blog postings are directed toward managers, I'm delighted at the insights they offer, in part because they fly in the face of much tired, but endlessly repeated, leadership advice, but mostly because they Just Plain Make Sense. Working in a company that paid lip service to mentoring, I found that some valuable lessons (not technical skills related) were hard won and then only after years (sometimes decades). Not an efficient way to learn. Wish that I had found "Managing Humans", this blog, etc. a long time ago.

One question about 1:1 meetings came to mind. Do you make notes during these sessions. From the post here, it seems that such action could derail or sabotage the session. But walking away and forgetting the gist could sabotage your own work and the relationship with that individual (even the team). So how do you remember YOUR lessons from that interaction.