Seeing the whole
a context in which to think and act
Do experienced coaches adopt/adapt practices by taking context into account? Of course they do! Do a chosen set of principles produce a valuable, enduring outcome in every kind of context? Of course they don’t! Failure to sufficiently take context into account is the number one factor that limits success when adopting methods. The tendency to ignore context in our effort to simplify reality is problematic. Why then is there so little explicit guidance on the context of applicability of principles and practices except for a call for the right culture or mindset? Context is so much more than that. In this section we will explore a powerful notation that makes context explicit. Step, by step, we will build up a context-based guidance for implementing practices and developing capabilities that goes beyond what most can even dream of. The only universal principle is the principle that context always matters!
