The Power of Context:
Why “It Depends” Might Be the Wisest Answer You’ll Ever Hear

The Foreman, The Black Belt, and the Student

Years ago, when I was running a multi-million-dollar job site, a young apprentice came up to me during lunch.

First year on the job, still had the shine of LA Trade Tech on him.

He asked, “Chuck, when you're running conduit in a drop ceiling, what’s the best way to do it?”

Fair question.

But not a simple one.

• Was the ceiling space tight or wide open?
• Were we working around HVAC, ductwork, or sprinklers?
• Did he have hangers and had he checked clearances with the other trades, especially plumbers with sloped runs?

I shrugged and said, “Well… it depends.”

He looked frustrated.

Like I was hiding something.

But I wasn’t—I couldn’t give him a one-size-fits-all answer.

Not if I cared about his growth.

Fast forward.

I’ve heard that same frustration on the hapkido mat, when students asked how to counter a punch, escape a hold, or respond to an attack.

Same answer: “It depends.”

Then came BJJ.

As a white belt again, I wanted to gauge the wisdom (not knowledge) of the black belts and upper belts.

So I would ask the typical questions that white belts would ask, "How to escape mount, pass guard, or survive pressure?"

I was so relieved to hear, “It depends...”

Because “it depends” is the signal that context matters more than canned answers.

And if you want to lead your life like a warrior, a leader, and a badass—you’ve got to learn how to see it.

The Problem:
We All Want Easy Answers

Everywhere I’ve worked—construction sites, dojos, business coaching sessions—I’ve seen the same thing:

People want someone to just tell them what to do.

They want clarity without effort.
They want shortcuts. Hacks. Silver bullets.
They want a plug-and-play system they can copy

But life doesn’t work like that.

What worked for me might not work for you.
What worked for you last year might not work today.
What worked in one situation might backfire in another.

And if you rely on fixed answers in a world that’s constantly changing—you’re setting yourself up for struggle, not success.

Context is King

When people say “it depends,” they’re pointing to something deeper:

• It depends on you.
• It depends on timing.
• It depends on the environment, your skill level, your temperament, your values, your situation.

In short: It depends on each individual situation.

And context isn’t something you memorize—it’s something you learn to feel, read, and adapt to.

If life is a battlefield, context is the terrain.

And if you charge ahead without reading the terrain, you’re going to get flanked.

Why Most People Don’t Get This

Most people are conditioned to think in rules, not principles.

They want “Do A, get B.”

But real life is more like “Do A, get B… unless it’s raining, you’re tired, she’s not in the mood, your boss had a bad day, or you missed a key detail.”

That’s why wisdom sounds like “it depends.”

Not because the person doesn’t know.

But because they do—and they’re aware of the moving pieces you might not see yet.

Why Context is Hard—but Necessary

There’s a reason why most gurus avoid talking about context.

Because it’s hard to sell.

You can’t package it in a five-step funnel.

You can’t automate it.

It requires discernment, pattern recognition, and sometimes—trial and error.

And that’s exactly why we built Leader’s Dojo.​

Not to give you pre-fab answers or cookie-cutter systems.

But to help you understand your context deeply.

Enter the Leader’s Dojo:
Mastering the Context of You

At Leader’s Dojo​, we believe your power comes from clarity—not just about your goals, but about yourself.

And that starts with understanding the terrain of your own life.

We help you uncover:

• Where you are right now in your personal leadership journey
• What kind of warrior you are, using proven archetypes
• What stage of development you’re in, using tools inspired by martial arts, psychology, and ancient philosophy
• Where your blind spots are, so you can finally stop sabotaging yourself
• What kind of action fits your style, instead of trying to mimic someone else’s path

How?

Through personalized assessments, custom reports, and one-of-a-kind roadmaps tailored to your growth.

It’s not therapy.
It’s not hustle porn.
It’s not fake accountability from some random group chat.

It’s real-world self-discovery, mixed with ancient warrior wisdom and practical systems.

It’s about becoming you, but better.

The Principle of Adaptability

Whether you’re rolling on the mat, leading a team, building a business, or navigating a breakup, your ability to adapt to context is your greatest strength.

That’s what separates:

• A follower from a leader
• A white belt from a black belt
• A scared kid from a confident man

And the only way to develop that is to start seeing yourself as part of the equation—not just looking for tactics, but learning to apply principles based on who you are and where you are.

From “Tell Me What to Do” to “Let Me Figure This Out”

When guys come to me asking, “Just tell me what to do,” I get it.

They’re overwhelmed.
They want answers, not riddles.
They’re tired of making mistakes.

But I never want to rob a man of his own leadership.

Because my answer might solve today’s problem, but if you don’t learn to read context, you’ll be right back at square one tomorrow.

That’s why Leader’s Dojo doesn’t give you rules—we give you frameworks.

• You learn how to assess your current position.
• You build decision-making habits that fit your strengths.
• You train to read your environment, trust your intuition, and respond with clarity.

Because that’s what warriors do.

Putting It On the Mat

A few months into my BJJ journey, I rolled with a visiting brown belt.

I asked him after class:

“What’s your go-to side control escape?”

He smiled and said… you guessed it: “It depends.”

I said, “Tell me your favorite in a specific situation.”

He lit up.

We walked through the context—what the opponent was doing, where their weight was, what grips they had.

He explained that in some cases, the explosive bridge works.

In others, you shrimp.

In others still, you let them take the mount so you can trap an ankle.

But here's what stuck with me:

He said,

That’s what Leader’s Dojo is about.

Helping you develop the awareness to know:

• What kind of man you are
• Where you are on the path
• What you need next
• And how to move through life like the river—adaptive, strong, and unstoppable

Like Heraclitus said,

You’re not the same man you were last year—or even last month.

And the world isn’t the same either.

That’s why learning to read context—and understanding your context—is the secret to lasting power and progress.

So here’s what I challenge you to do this week:

1. Pick an area where you’re stuck or uncertain.
2. Instead of looking for a rule, look for the patterns.
3. Ask yourself: What’s changed? What’s different? What am I not seeing?
4. Reflect on who you are in this moment—and whether your actions fit that identity.
5. Want help figuring it out? Join the Leader’s Dojo and get your personalized self-leadership report.

Because knowing the context of the battlefield is useful.
But knowing the context of you?

That’s how you become dangerous—in the best way possible.

Now go put it on the mat.

P.S. If you found this content helpful, I have a favor to ask.

Actually two of them, a selfish one and a not-so-selfish one.

First the selfish one, if this was helpful to you, forward it to someone you think it might help. That helps me to grow my reach.

Now the not-selfish one, the one thing I learned on the mat and on the job was that the most successful leaders were not the ones who knew the most but were the ones who applied and taught the most.

So, if you want to be a better leader, do two things, take immediate action on what you learned today AND share it with someone else. You'll look badass, I promise you.

Also, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, hit me up, reply to this email and let me know what's going on and how I can help you to be a better warrior, leader, and badass.

Thank you, I appreciate you being here in The Daily Dojo, you can learn more at CharlesDoublet.com​