The Power of Context

Transparency without context is just information.
Information without context is just facts.
Facts without context is just noise.

We toss around the word "transparency" a lot in the proverbial office (or in my case, my living room).

"Be more transparent."
"Clients want transparency."
"The team wants more transparency."
"The lack of transparency is breeding resentment."

But transparency for the sake of it is useless, rudderless.
Transparency in communication (or leadership) has to serve a purpose.
It needs context.

Context = why this matters (or not), what it changes, and what you want people to do next.

Maybe it's to better equip our teams to better steer our clients.
Maybe it's to help teams understand our rationale for an unpopular or difficult decision.
Maybe it's to give decision-makers a fuller picture so they can decide and move forward.

Because what I've always tried to avoid—with my teams, my clients, my bosses—is hearing either of my two least favorite phrases:

"Well, had I known…" and/or "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this."

Because what that tells me is there's a delta in what I gave and what they received, what I said and what they heard. And most of the time, what could have narrowed that delta?

Context. ✌