Munafo Core Values: MCV11 — Know and Trust Your Context

Know and Trust Your Context

Here is a great example of a core value for which each word (except and) carries a very large amount of meaning. I'll cover each of the words here:

Context: is defined (by a few different dictionaries) as "the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs".

In the ICSD Creed we find the somewhat cryptic statement: We believe context is the most powerful tool we have.

Specifically as used in this Core Value, context refers to your presence of mind, your state of being in relationship, your attitude towards leadership policy, and more. It is the "box" limiting your thoughts; the unspoken message you express to others; and any personality attributes you are bringing to: your situation, your behavior towards others, and so on.

More than anything else, these things are what control how you react to any of the many things that might, can and will happen around you — in the moment, in a period (such as a meeting), throughout a day, and over longer periods of time.

How you react (and in particlar whether you resist or comply) to everyong and everything around you, will control whether or not the results of your interactions with others are consistent with your objectives.

A "context" can be expressed in words, and knowing the context in terms of words is useful: you can remember it as words, and use those words to remind yourself of your intended presence of mind, state of being, etc. As such, the words should be brief (and easy to remember) and personal (of clear meaning to you, but not necessarily by others).

Beware of a context that sounds great in words, but does not come from your heart. Once you have selected a suitable context, "holding" (see below) it is all you need to do to accomplish the desired results.

Trust: Once you have defined a context that you can hold, and is consistent with the results you wish to achieve, it is possible to forget everything else, including any notions of what will or should happen, and be assured of a desirable outcome. It is this willful surrender of control, that constitutes trusting your context.

Your: Don't use someone else's context. Create your own. Holding someone else's context is like wearing someone else's underwear.

Subtext

Hold: As part of word Trust, this Core Value asserts that you are always "holding a context", which simply means that you always have: a presence of mind, a state of being in relationship, and the other things mentioned above.

By "holding the context", you are keeping your attitude, personality, behaviour, etc. within a range of possibilities defined by the context — anything that agrees with or is consistent with the context is OK, anything else should be changed.

Regardless of any advance planning and good intentions, the context you end up holding might stray from your intention. The context you are trusting is whatever you're holding — and any efforts in planning to hold a particular context are for nought if your context changes.

MCV11 for Teams

When this core value is present:

The team sets a context for each commitment the team takes on. (+mcv11a)

The team holds its context. (+mcv11b)

The team remains aware of its context and its impact, and takes steps to modify the context when necessary. (+mcv11c)

When this core value is lacking:

The team takes on a commitment without going through the process of considering, and agreeing upon, an appropriate and effective team context. (-mcv11a)

The team forgets, or does not hold, the context it has agreed on. (-mcv11b)

In general, any other failure to notice and/or modify its context. (-mcv11c)

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This page was written in the "embarrassingly readable" markup language RHTF, and was last updated on 2025 Jul 17.

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