While attending Florida Southern College, I took a night class titled “Industrial Psychology.” The teacher was a retired Vice President of Human Resources for a major international manufacturer of heavy equipment. On the first day of school he walked into the room, went to the blackboard and wrote “CYA” in large letters. Then he told us that if we didn’t learn anything else in his class, we would learn what CYA stood for.
He went on to explain that in the real world of business this is one of the most important and basic rules for success and survival. Whether you are in a positive or negative position, using CYA gave you an edge over your competition. In all areas of business you needed CYA or Cover Your Ass.
Every class after that, I would write CYA on the board and leave it that way for the entire period. He would then teach the fundamentals of industrial psychology as he weaved his own personal experiences. Throughout the class, he would refer to the board and ask, “How can you apply CYA to this situation?”
When broken down, CYA involves two processes.
- Documentation
- Follow up
Documentation
Documentation is simply “putting it in writing.” Whether it is a communication or an event, write down what was said and/or what happened. Too often, not remembering exactly what happened or what was said results in a totally different result than what you expected.
In a conversation, what one party heard may not be what the other said. Often the conversation takes place in a noisy or busy area with many distractions. Other times, the conversation takes place while one or both parties are in a hurry and no real communication takes place.
To help avoid misunderstandings, take notes during the conversation or as soon as possible after the conversation, write down what was said. I have always carried a small notepad in my pocket to jot down memorized notes to be used later to help retain or recap the conversation. Often, when I have a few minutes, I email the other party a note summarizing the conversation. This will also serve as a record that we had the conversation.
Sometimes I have kept a business diary or a record of my daily activities. This is a great tool for taking notes on the day’s events and important communications. Several months later, if you have to review an event, you’ll be glad to have this information documented.
Another good habit to adopt is to keep all correspondence in a file. You never know when you may need it. This is one of the best things about email. It is a written record and easy to keep.
Follow up
One of the phrases I hate to hear from one of my managers is, “I figured…” I was taught very early in my business career the old adage that when you take over, you make an “ass of me.” and I get very angry when it happens to me. This can be easily avoided by simply learning to keep track of the events you are involved in.
If you do a task, don’t assume it will get done, follow through.
If you have assignments, don’t assume you’ve done them correctly, follow up.
If you are involved in a communication with another person, don’t assume there is an understanding of what was said, follow up.
If you do something, take the time to follow up and make sure it was done correctly. This extra step in your workflow can eliminate many wasted steps in the future.
If you write it, you correct it, another way to follow up. Years ago I asked my assistant to write a letter to the Vice President of Operations at the company he worked for telling him about the production record our second shift team broke the night before. She typed it up and brought it to me to sign and I did.
Several days later I received a call from the vice president asking if I had read the letter he had signed before sending it. That day I learned a great lesson about following through. I pulled out my copy of the letter and read where she wrote: “The second shift set a new production standard for operations.” The problem was that he had left the “f” out of turn. Needless to say, I now read what I sign.
It might seem like you’re being paranoid by keeping all these notes and constantly checking on people, but you’re not. It is a valuable tool to help you become a better leader and manager. It will help you assess your past performance and help you plan for future improvements. By applying CYA in all areas of your work you will reap the benefits.
So, every day “Cover your ass.”