I tell clients the same thing I tell my own coaching clients: behavior is evidence, whether you're managing the record or not. The only question is whether you're managing it on purpose.

Workplace disputes are where I see the worst documentation habits, mostly because people either document nothing until it's a crisis, or they document everything, including their own worst moments, without realizing that record can be read by someone else later. Here's how to do it properly.

Write the fact, not the feeling. "They were dismissive in the meeting" is an interpretation. "In the 2pm meeting on March 3, they interrupted me three times while I was presenting the Q1 numbers" is a fact. A fact can be verified. A feeling can only be argued with. Your notes should read like the second version, every time.

Record it the same day. Memory reshapes itself to make you the reasonable one in every retelling. That's not dishonesty, it's just how memory works. A note written the same day, before ...