Business Craft | Writing Clarifies Thinking

The Declaration of Independence expressed the ideals from which a Nation was founded and the reasons for the separation from Great Britain. The unanimous declaration by the thirteen colonies in Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, two hundred and forty-eight years ago.  

The founding fathers understood the power of a well written argument. They understood the message had to be clear to be supported. They understood the price of the Declaration would be paid in blood. They were all in on the idea of a new independent nation.

Scan the Declaration of Independence. Think about the time it took to write the Declaration of Independence. Think about writing the Declaration of Independence with a quill pen by candlelight.   

The ideas presented in the Declaration of Independence created enough positive momentum that led to the development of one of the most successful nations to date. A nation that has scaled to Fifty States from the original Thirteen.  

Most companies are created with the desire for more professional, personal, or financial freedom. Yet few business owners embrace writing to tell the story of their business.  Who better communicates the story of a business than the person whose passion led to its formation? How many times is authentic said or read daily? Can your company’s message be authentic if it is delegated to others?  

Inefficient communication is a major barrier to scaling. Writing is a critical part of efficient communication. Business owners may not feel they have the time to write. I will argue that you do not have time not to write. Scaling is about leveraging time and maximizing resources. Writing is one of a business owner's most leveraged activities. Clear written content and SOPs can be used for years to come.  

Why do business owners not write regularly? Because it is hard to write well, it takes time to develop the skill, and personal vanity. Many business owners think stakeholders should not see them struggle. This vanity is just part of being human. Be a leader and show your stakeholders that it is important to learn, struggle and grow. It will make you more relatable and it allows you to hold others accountable when they do not want to learn, struggle, and grow. A culture where people are allowed to learn, struggle and grow does not become obsolete.  

Consider Ameet’s main points from the article linked below: 

• Writing enables you to effectively frame your ideas and arguments. 

  • They just do not understand what I am saying. Write out your argument or value proposition. You likely will figure out why they didn’t understand what you were saying. 

• Writing can help you to disaggregate and prioritize the most important issues. 

  • Developing job description and SOP shines a light on important issues and supplies clarity.  Writing a job description will help you find the correct person for the job, and help the person know they are accepting the correct position for them. SOP allows a employees to know how to correctly execute their job. This is a win for the employer and the employee. Win-wins build positive momentum. Businesses require positive momentum to scale.  

• Writing enables you to synthesize data and reconcile different viewpoints. 

  • How can a productive culture be developed without reconciling different viewpoints? How can individuals work as a team without reconciling different viewpoints? How did Thirteen independent states form a nation without reconciling different view point?  

Added benefits of writing your ideas and arguments down: 

• With limited words and space in your document, the act of writing forces you to make your argument more concise and persuasive.  

• Writing will cause you to internalize your argument. The next time someone asks you about your idea, you will have your talking points ready, and you will sound very structured and concise when you communicate your idea to them.  

• You have potentially created a work product, or content, that can be shared.  

The Declaration of Independence is still being shared and studied today. The discussions from that Second Continental Congress have long been forgotten. Their writings have not been forgotten. Their writings are still being used.  

Lessons from McKinsey - Writing Clarifies Thinking - 6 minute read