Putting it all in Context

In my experience, twelve year old kids do not like to run laps. In fact, most dislike it quite intensely. This learning is based on a large amount of feedback I got from the girls on my daughter’s soccer team after our first few practices, which always started with a half hour of stretching and running. Also, in my experience, twelve year old girls are not bashful (or kind) about sharing their feedback, which in this case ranged from “why are we doing this boring stuff instead of playing soccer” to “I hate this” and even “you’re a mean coach and I wish I wasn’t on your team.” Kids have not yet mastered the subtleties of giving constructive feedback.

I realize now that I’d committed a cardinal sin of coaching by not providing context when leading a team. When you don’t provide your team with context, they’ll often make their own assumptions about the underlying reason for why you are telling them to do something…and these assumptions can sometimes be inaccurate. In retrospect, I should have explained to the girls that we start each practice with stretching and running because it helps us avoid injuries and get in shape so we won’t get tired out during actual games. And that the underlying objective is thus to win more games (which in turn leads to more shiny trophies and pizza parties). I should have provided the important context that I wasn’t making them run laps (just) because I’m mean.

Providing context is even more important at work, and something that managers have a tendency to overlook, especially when things are hectic. It’s easy to just start barking out orders and telling people the specific tasks that you want them to do. This may seem effective, as your team members will typically do what you tell them to do. But without context, they probably won’t do it as effectively as they might have, and they almost certainly won’t find as much meaning and fulfillment in doing the work. The output you get will often be rote and uninspiring, and lacking in creativity and nuance. If folks don’t know the underlying reason why they are doing something, they’re unlikely to be able to provide much value-add to the work.

There are lots of reasons why it is worth making the effort to provide your teams and colleagues with full context for the things you are asking of them. In particular:

• The team is more likely to connect-the-dots and plan the work in a way that yields the best possible outcome, rather than just completing a bunch of tasks to cross them off their to-do lists.?
• Team members are more likely to identify ways to collaborate with others and thus yield more holistic outcomes, rather than then a set of disconnected deliverables.
• Team’s will have more commitment and passion about working on tasks when they understand the overall impact and objectives the organization is trying to achieve. You can’t just assume that everyone knows the bigger picture if you don’t show it to them.
• You’ll alleviate the need to provide step-by-step directives, and instead be able to lay out the context and objectives, and let the team figure out the best and fastest way to achieve the goals (which almost always leads to a better result).
• You’ll build bridges. Uber is a large, global and matrixed company, and we operate in a number of complex segments and markets. Most folks aren’t going to have a full understanding of all the intricacies and interdependencies associated with cross-functional efforts.?
• You’ll boost the morale and engagement of your teams, as work is much more rewarding when you understand the context of tasks you are completing and how they contribute to the overall success of Uber.
• Over time, you’ll develop stronger leaders with greater strategic vision and a deeper and broader understanding of the business.?

That’s the why of context, so now let's talk about the how:

• Start strong: The most critical time to provide context is at the beginning of a project or when a new person joins the team. That’s when foundations are set and plans are being drawn up. The extra time you invest here has a very high ROI.?
• Show don’t tell: The best way to provide context is to make it tangible and real. Illustrate the impact the work will have on improving the user experience, company results, team engagement, etc. Don’t rely on just numbers, paint the full picture.?
• Illustrate cause & effect: Make sure you make a clear case as to how each aspect of the work (ie the inputs) directly relate to achieving a better final outcome (ie a more seamless customer experience, a more efficient process, etc.)
• Make it personal: Tell the team why you are personally excited about the work. It’s a great opportunity for you to be an authentic and relatable leader.?
• Be specific: Give concrete and easy to understand examples of how the tasks fit into the larger efforts, and how the total is greater than the sum of the parts.
• Over-communicate, repeat and refresh: Context can be complicated, and it evolves as the environment changes. So it is the kind of thing you need to keep reenforcing in multiple conversations, emails, team meetings, etc.?
• Ask for input: Providing context is a two-way-street. Make sure you ask your business partners for their perspectives and their own personal context. The same rules that apply about the benefits of providing context are equally true about the value of receiving context. Chances are you don’t know everything that’s going on in every part of a company as vast and complex as Uber.?

Remember, not everyone was in all the meetings that you attended when the topic was discussed. Not everyone knows the full history or background of the problem we’re trying to solve. Not everyone has a complete understanding of why you’re asking them to work on something. It’s incumbent on you as a colleague, manager or leader to provide that important context. And if you ever find yourself coaching a middle school girls soccer team, remember that the most popular coaches are the ones that take the time to provide context (and bring snacks).?