About me
My name is Mauro Bagnato and for over 15 years I have been leading tech organizations.
When I first stepped into leadership, I believed technical expertise was the key to being an effective leader. However, I quickly learned that organizations are living and complex systems and that leading them demands much more than just technical know-how. I believe that curiosity is at the heart of effective leadership. This is what fuels learning and experimentation, both crucial for continuous improvement. This blog aims to explore engineering leadership in all its aspects and to provide insights in a tangible and pragmatic manner. It will also be a space where I will share insights, reflections, and personal takeaways from books, podcasts, and articles that influenced and keep influencing my journey.
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I really like reading books, I mean paper books. I know it sounds a bit old school but there's something special about flipping through pages and feeling the texture of paper.
Over time reading has become a cornerstone of my morning routine. It makes me feel better, boosts my energy, and helps me zone in for some deeper thinking and learning.
But it has also been a big source of frustration!
The hitch? My memory. Like everyone else, I'd love to remember every cool thing I read, but it just doesn't stick. So what to do?
I started jotting stuff down.
At first, taking notes can be boring but it became a game-changer for me in several ways:
- Information retention. The simple act of writing makes words and concepts stick in my mind longer.
- Deeper understanding. Writing helps me process information and get the essence of what I’m reading.
- Knowledge bank. With my notes, I’ve got quick and easy access to information that can be easily consumed because previously processed.
I have been taking notes for a while now and I’d like to share a few tips that I learned along the way:
- Hold your horses.
Don't rush to note down every cool thing you come across. Great books are packed with insights, and you don't want to end up just rewriting them.
I usually read a few paragraphs, reflect on the content, and then try to capture the key takeaways. - Go fully digital.
Keeping my notes synced across devices has been a big win. It means I can read or write notes anytime I want. - Keep it neat.
If you read more than a few books a year, and write notes for each book, things can pile up. Organize notes so you can quickly find what you need. Using tags, like for 'leadership' or 'goal-setting', helps group insights, no matter which book they're from.
Wrapping up, I think that the blending of the very analogic paper books reading and the fully digital note-taking is what makes my reading journey so fulfilling!
