If you lead (whether or not you are formally a leader, you can lead!), you have a responsibility to give context to the team you work for. Giving context is about telling the story of “why” to your team members, and letting them be a part of it. It’s about explaining how certain decisions were made, how they fit into the bigger picture, and how they’ve impacted the business.
Here are two examples:
- You manage a high-profile website project, where your main Client is the Chairman of the board. Giving context in this situation means teaching your team why the Chairman makes the decisions she does (hint: she’s thinking in the best interest of the business). By doing giving context, you prevent speculation and “we have to do it because she said so” rationale that can quickly fill the void in a project that lacks context.
- You work in a fast-paced environment where you manage 20-30 projects at one time. Instead of taking the time on each project to give your project team the proper context behind why you are asking them to do something, you settle into just giving orders. Quickly, the team starts to distance themselves from you, and you notice they don’t respond as quickly, or proactively seek your advice as often, as they used to.
Giving context is about first making those around you (your project team, your immediate teammates, etc.) comfortable with you and your approach. Then, it’s about giving the the knowledge so that they can be on the same page you are!
Give your team the “backstory” (i.e. context) and you’ll be amazed at how they will grow and rise up to help your cause!