Most Leaders Focus on Goals. They're Missing the Big Picture

"During the early months of COVID, I was leading a retail product business that suddenly found itself in the same position as thousands of others. Stores were closed, yet lease payments kept coming, and revenue had effectively gone to zero."

"When we stepped back and looked at the broader context of the market, it became clear that there was an opportunity in front of us. So we did something that seemed counterintuitive at the time. We signed leases."

"Most leadership frameworks focus on role clarity and goal setting. However, even when roles are clearly defined and goals are well understood, leaders still make avoidable mistakes."

"Context is the environment that determines whether your plan actually works. It includes internal dynamics like team capability and organizational structure, but also external forces like market timing, customer behavior, and economic conditions."

Leaders often overlook the critical variable of context when executing plans. During COVID, a retail product business faced zero revenue but recognized an opportunity in signing retail leases despite the shift to ecommerce. This decision, based on understanding market conditions, led to valuable locations for the company. Context includes internal dynamics and external forces, such as market timing and customer behavior. Ignoring context can lead to avoidable mistakes, even with clear roles and goals.

Read at Entrepreneur