In the Big Bang Theory episode, “The Herb Garden Germination”, Sheldon Cooper, the brilliant yet socially awkward physicist greets his roommate Leonard who has just arrived home with dinner:
Leonard: Hey
Sheldon: Hey
Leonard: Hope you’re hungry.
Sheldon: Interesting. A friendly sentiment in this country, cruel taunt in the Sudan. It’s a lesson in context.
Sheldon’s simple, off-handed observation provides an important leadership lesson. Context matters. Words, ideas, facts and data have little meaning without proper context.
Yet context is often the first casualty in a world of information overload, tight deadlines, and hectic schedules.
Ironically, most of the time that saved by skipping over the “background” more than gets made up for in rework, confusion, slow decisions, and poor productivity.
It’s not that people won’t do their job without context; they can’t. It’s that simple.
Are you providing enough context to your people? Make these simple changes and you should see your people’s performance increase:
- When making a request for information, explain how you intend to use that information.
- When passing information along, don’t just say, “FYI”. Explain why you are providing the information and what you’d like them to do with it.
- When asking someone to attend a meeting, explain their role in the meeting and what knowledge and experience you’d like them to bring.
- When giving out to-dos and tasks, remind people of the outcomes toward which they are working.
- When stating a decision, draw a connection to your business strategy and goals.
Adding context doesn’t require a lot of extra time or effort. It simply requires a bit of thought and a desire to make your people more successful.
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Brad Kolar is the President of Kolar Associates, a leadership consulting and workforce productivity consulting firm. He can be reached at brad.kolar@kolarassociates.com.
