Contextual Thinking for Leaders
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
My advice today is simple – don’t get too comfortable with your leadership style. When a leader becomes too comfortable in any given area, their decisioning becomes at risk. One size fits all leadership styles restrict effectiveness, alienate staff & peers, and limit the ability of a company to thrive in ever changing markets. Companies led by traditional executives whose leadership style hasn’t kept pace with current practices will be left behind by those who understand the need to apply situational velocity within a contextual framework. The bottom line is that your ability as a leader to adapt your style based on situation and context will have a direct correlation to the level of success you achieve in today’s business world.
Contextual thinking is a necessary skill set for those professionals seeking to operate at the top of their game. It has been said that the only constant in life is change. Given that change is bound to occur, it is surprising the small number of professionals that actually excel at leading and managing change. Static thinking in a vacuum, that does not take into account situational and contextual nuances, will leave even the most experienced executives or entrepreneurs wondering what went wrong…
I have met brilliant linear thinkers who given the right environment, or enough time, could come up with the correct solution to most problems. However in today’s world, environments are ever changing and cycle times are ever compressing. In a previous blog post entitled “The Need for Speed” I make the business case for velocity of decisioning being a positive disruptive force necessary for corporate or entrepreneurial success. The need to quickly make situational assessments has never been more critical for leaders as decisions that could once be made over a matter of weeks and months now often times need to be made in a matter of hours.
The mantra of “Adapt, Improvise and Overcome” was drilled into me during my years in the military. Failure was not an option, and the ability to deal with mission critical decisioning on short time frames was a mandatory skill for survival. The same is true in business today. As a senior executive you must be able to take B-school academic theory and traditional business logic and adapt them to the context of the situation at hand. Contextual thinking is a more refined version of “thinking outside the box.” Being capable of getting outside the business of business, and deal with issues of relationships, culture, politics, innovation, creativity, accountability, and tactical precision are the skills needed to catalyze growth and create a sustainable enterprise.
Thinking and/or decisioning not nuanced by context is very likely to be flawed. Not only is such thinking intellectually dishonest, but it also holds the potential to be fraught with blind spots. The chances for success in any leadership activity become greatly enhanced when the sphere of thought underpinning a decision, challenge, or situation is expanded by context.
I’d love to hear any examples of good decisions aided by contextual awareness, or bad decisions made by not being aware of situational context. Please share them in the comments below…
Excellent Post, Mike
I'm particularly sensitive to your comments about "B-school academic theory and traditional business logic and the ability to adapt them to the context of the situation at hand" This ability is sorely lacking in many leaders who are the end product of many of our business schools. Many of the MBA's I've come in contact with have been taught the models and how to apply them but were never taught the underlying reasons for why the models were developed in the first place. They can spew jargon and acronyms that will impress the masses but the don't possess the skills to navigate full-scall paradigm shifts. As a result, we have crops of new leaders who were trained to deal with static, homogenous environments… not economies/markets/companies where hyper-change is the norm vs. exception ~ ~ Not good!
Keep up the good work
Mark
Hi Mark – Good to hear from you and thanks for sharing the great observations. I share the same concerns you voiced, but regrettably the problem extends well beyond the younger generation of new leaders. I come across far too many experienced leaders who still fail to grasp the difference between knowledge and understanding. While I'm always impressed by intellectual acuity, I'm more impressed by leaders who understand how to apply their intellect in a meaningful fashion. Thanks as always for your spot-on analysis Mark…
Hi Mike,
This post illustrates how very difficult leadership is! Leaders must not get distracted. They need to continually "check in" with themselves and the context they find themselves in in order to make the best decisions. Yet convincing them to have the reflection time necessary to do this is very difficult in the fast paced environments they are in. It really only requires a few minutes a day (or a few minutes interspersed throughout a day).
Hi Mary Jo:
Thanks for sharing such practical advice – Leadership takes focused time and effort. Some people think that when they've reached a certain place, position, title, etc., that they've arrived. Such a mindset is a very dangerous thing. Leadership is not a destination, but rather a long and complex journey that requires a considerable personal investment commensurate with the trust and faith placed in you as a leader. I appreciate your observations Mary Jo…
Hi Mike
I guess in this matter it is a question of individual perception and how they approach leadership. Their values in terms of change and how they feel about it. We can have different ideas or thought patterns and how we delivery in our responsibilities is subject to our leadership styles. We can all attend the same class but we can't understand the same.
Hi Oarabile –
While it's true that individual learning ability and perceptions play a role in leadership style, this isn't really germane to today's discussion. I would point you to Mark's comment above. Mark is a very successful CEO and a highly regarded leader. His thoughts about those who possess knowledge without understanding are spot-on in my opinion.
Understanding context is about wisdom, discernment, experience, and maturity as a leader. It's about being able to call on the right skills at the right times for the right reasons. It's about understanding the needs of the moment, without losing sight of the big picture. Thanks for sharing Oarabile…
Thanks Greg…I appreciate your keen observations. Thanks for adding value to this discussion.
Thank you Mike for this article. The following statement resonates: "Being capable of getting outside the business of business, and deal with issues of relationships, culture, politics, innovation, creativity, accountability, and tactical precision are the skills needed to catalyze growth and create a sustainable enterprise."
Making things happen through others is one definition of leadership. One tenant of is complementary skill sets, applied in dynamic situations to achieve the desired results. Multifaceted Leaders are grown through the practice of actively evolving self and those around them.