The Sainsbury’s Bag Problem

A few weeks ago my British friend texted me to say her brother had gone out to rescue a lost dog.

He’d grabbed a hand axe and some secateurs, tossed them in a Sainsbury’s bag, and headed into the brambles.

…I had absolutely no idea what she just said.

Turns out a Sainsbury’s bag is a sturdy canvas tote. Secateurs are pruning shears. And her brother was fully equipped for a brush rescue.

We both speak English. We both assumed we were on the same page. We weren’t. I didn’t have the context of growing up on the other side of the pond.

This is just one example of how a message without context can land differently in someone else’s mind.

Why?

We’re in a Context Crisis

The problem isn’t the message itself…

It’s assuming your message landed the way you intended.

And more often than you’d think, it doesn’t.

When context is missing, people don’t sit with the gap. They fill it using their own experience, their history with you, their current workload, and what they already believe to be true.

The message you sent and the message they received become two different things.

You feel unheard, they feel uncertain, and because nobody has built the habit of checking in, both sides just move on, carrying different versions of the same conversation.

Leaders are especially prone to this. If you’re like me, there’s usually an entire internal monologue behind decisions. The context your team never sees.

Context is what gives your message a fighting chance of landing on your terms instead of theirs.

What It Feels Like to Need Context

This past weekend I was considering buying a piece of art — a pricey one — and wanted to take it home on approval to see how it felt in my space.

The salesperson I asked said simply, “All sales are final.”

Full stop. No context.

Needing to understand more, I asked the interior designer on staff.

And it changed everything!

She explained that the gallery absorbs a credit card processing fee on both the sale and the return. Suddenly the policy made complete sense. We found a workaround and I left with the painting.

Same policy. Completely different landing. And a different ending because I bought the painting rather than walking away.

Context didn’t change the rule.

Understanding the “why” behind it changed my ability to accept it.

Your team needs the same thing. “No” without a why doesn’t land. It just creates resistance that builds.

Three Moves That Close the Gap

Three small habits stand between you and communicating clearly.

Lead with context. Before the message, give people the why. Not a lecture, just a sentence. It tells their brain where to file what comes next.

Ask for the playback. After something important, try: “Tell me what you heard in your own words.” You’re not quizzing them, you’re making sure everyone’s understanding is the same as yours.

Own the landing, not just the launch. Communication isn’t complete when you’ve sent it. It’s complete when it lands the way you intended. If it didn’t, that’s yours to fix, not theirs to figure out.

The strongest communicators aren’t the loudest or the most polished. They’re the ones who stay curious about whether their message actually arrived.

Sending the message is the easy part. The real work is making sure it arrives the way you intended.

To clearer landings,

Laurie