Why Context Matters More Than You Think

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Sometime today (likely many times), someone will ask you a question or you will consider a situation and say or think “it depends” before answering. The things the situation “depends” on is the context of the situation. When you think about how often you say (or think) “it depends”, you will quickly realize that context matters more than you might have previously thought.?

Knowing context gives us perspective and helps us make better sense of a situation. While this is profoundly true, the situations that should concern us more are the times when we think we have the right perspective or understand the context (or often just assume it). In these cases, our auto-responses and natural tendencies may lead us to less than optimum choices, because we didn’t consider context.?

Let me give you some simple context examples, and then let’s see how we can be more intentional about the choices we make – and how we can let context and the perspective that comes with it help us make more informed choices.

• A player shoots a free throw and swishes it. Is it in their backyard, in the gym, or with one second on the clock and the game on the line? It’s the same free throw, but the where and when change the context (including the stakes and how the player feels before the shot) – a lot.
• There is a presentation to be given, and the slides have been created. Two people will give the presentation. How would you advise them to prepare? Would it matter how much experience they have, how much they know about the topic and who their audience is? The context likely changes your advice – a lot.
• You need to give some tough feedback to someone. Wouldn’t the context of what that feedback is, who the person is, why you must give that feedback to them, as well as when and where you need to give it to them, change your approach?

These are just three (quite different) situations where “it depends” comes into play.

These all seem easy when we read them – or when they are hypothetical. The challenge is to be aware that these perspectives and context exist so that we can flex or adapt from what our initial advice to others (or ourselves) will be.

We must stop and think, even if only for a few seconds, before we act, if we want to scan the environment to understand a bigger picture of the situation and the implications (intended or otherwise) of our actions.

And now that you understand why context matters so much, you are more likely to take that breath, moment, or good night’s sleep before you act.

Next week, I will give you a simple framework to help you think about the situation and context before you act or decide.

Note: This article reminds us that context matters – and that insight and mindset is critical to being a Flexible Leader. If you find this idea helpful or fascinating and would like to learn more, pre-order a copy of my new book: Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence. This book gives you a full understanding of what it means to be a Flexible Leader and provides you with a toolkit for becoming more effective and flexible.

Pre-order your copy today.

A version of this article was previously published on my blog. ?

What Do You Think?

Share your thoughts in the comments – Where would thinking about context help you today?

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