Things in life never fit together well. There is always something unique about your current situation that makes it different from every other. The problem, the skills, the personalities, and the obstacles all take different shapes and forms from day to day.
One definition of context is “the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed”. Another one states ” the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs”.
Understanding the context of a situation is incredibly powerful in trying to be effective within it. Whether you are solving a problem, trying to move an organization in a specific direction, or trying to implement a new process, understanding the context of the situation or platform you are working in will give you great insight into how to adjust your voice, tactics or approach.
Context validates the fluidity of life. Creating stereotypes deadens it. As humans, we tend to be too rigid in too many situations to have a chance at succeeding.
When you are sensitive to the context of a situation you never look to put a square peg in a square hole nor is it easy to absolve yourself, that things did not work, because you were trying to put a square peg in a round hole.
Our habits and instinctive approaches may work from time to time just as our tools might. More times than not, we can use the tools we first thought of but the context of a situation demands we use them in different ways.
Gary Vaynerchuk talks a lot about understanding the context of a platform before using it. Your voice and approach on Twitter will be different than on Facebook, or Instagram. The same holds true for life.
Becoming more sensitive to context and seeing the differences in a situation from others you have experienced can be a huge lever that can help make you more effective.
If you can adapt to the context of a situation, then your only other challenge is to choose your tools wisely. Using or not using a tool based on the context you find yourself in.
Wait and see what progress you made. Re-assess the situation and evolving context. Then start to adapt further once again. Each time you will gain confidence in the fact that you may succeed.