Context: the given circumstances
"Mastering the context is about understanding your place in the world. You have to understand the state of the world around you in order to enact change within the world and within yourself."
"The first step for any leader who wants to create a culture that generates intellectual capital is to understand the context of the organizational world we're living in today."
As leaders, we absolutely must understand the context of the organization at that moment and the place of that organization in the larger context in order to lead with impact.
In theater, we call the context, “the given circumstances.” I find the specificity of the term “given circumstances” helpful. It refers to the set up of the play and the characters.
I am nineteen years old. I live in a cold northern castle. I wear itchy woolen tights. My father has just been killed by my uncle. My mother is now married to my murderous uncle. I want to do the right thing, but do not know what that is. I am Hamlet.
In public speaking, our given circumstances might be:
I have been asked to do a keynote. The audience is made up of elementary school educators from around the world here for their annual conference. I have been asked to talk about AI in the classroom. We are in a banquet hall with 20 tables of 10 people each, all eating lunch while I speak.
And as a leader our given circumstances might be:
Our company has had a terrible financial quarter. We have had to lay-off hundreds. Everyone is fearful they are next. As a leader, I must reassure them that things will get better and that we are doing our best, while holding the reality that nothing is certain. I have to make a statement at this quarter’s board meeting that will be broadcast live to the entire company.
So, as we see, the given circumstances include not only the logistical details, the place, time, audience, and space, but the emotional, organizational, immediate context.
As leaders, this contextual intelligence is vital. We must take it all into account in order to craft and live a vision that has true purpose and can therefore have true impact.
This week, as we think about an upcoming meeting or presentation, paint as complete a picture as possible of the given circumstances from every angle: financial, emotional, strategic, literal (how many people, what is the space, etc.). And let these given circumstances inform our intention, content, and presence—how we communicate our message.