Why Boundaries Are Crucial for Professional Growth

They are essential, but people rarely admit they need to set better boundaries. Addressing eroded boundaries is easier said than done.

Poor boundaries are often a pain point or frustration, a symptom of a deeper challenge. We need to go below the surface and address problems at their root to drive sustainable changes. Attacking the roots helps build awareness and makes it easier to eliminate the symptoms of many challenges you face, particularly with understanding your boundaries.

Assessing Your Boundaries

Boundaries help us become our best selves. However, building and maintaining a strong container takes intention and attention.

Start by asking yourself three essential questions: What do I need to be my best self at work, at home, and life? What structures, expectations, and rules help me be at my best? And how can clear boundaries make it easier for me to be at my best?

For example, if you aren’t available before 7:00 am because you’ve carved out that time to run, do yoga, or do anything else that helps you be at your best throughout the day, be clear that this is a protected time. The same holds true for space–if you work best without interruptions, be clear about this boundary with coworkers and family members.

How Boundaries Can Help You Level Up Your Leadership

As leaders, we are all pulled in multiple directions. As a result, setting clear boundaries is essential to any leader's success. Specifically, boundary setting helps leaders level-up their leadership capacity on five important levels.

• Bandwidth management. Leaders with clear boundaries tend to be better at managing their time, energy, and attention, and, in turn, they are more effective at bandwidth management.
• Trust building. Boundary erosion often goes hand-in-hand with breaches of trust. For example, if you have clear boundaries about when you’re available and under what conditions, it is far less likely that you’ll fail to show up as promised, resulting in a breach of trust.
• Relationship management. Leaders need to be accessible and carefully manage their relationships and the relationships of others on their team. While being friendly with team members is generally welcome, being overly friendly with some but not all team members can create an “inner circle,” leading to an erosion of trust. These choices can even create a toxic work environment.
• Values, priorities, and decision-making. Boundaries also play a key role in helping leaders make decisions that reflect their values and priorities. As a leader, there will be times when you feel pulled in many different directions. As you balance the demands of board members with the urgent needs of frontline employees, there are times when you’re going to feel conflicted. Clear boundaries about the values and priorities you’re unwilling to compromise are critical.
• Work-life integration. Naturally, boundaries are important to any leader's overall well-being and work-life balance. Leading an organization is usually a 24/7 job. As a result, having one’s work bleed into one’s life can be easy, which will impact time with your spouse, children, and other family members. Having clear boundaries to protect your time with those who matter most may be the factor that ultimately determines one’s ability to thrive in a leadership role for the long term.

As you look ahead, take time to reflect on your boundaries. What boundaries work, and in what areas of your life might you build or rebuild your boundaries to set yourself and your team members up for success?