Do you ever feel exhausted as a leader?  Do you find yourself saying yes when you should say no?  If you answered yes to the previous two questions, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed and burdened.   While many of us have experienced work related stress, left unattended for too long, it can lead to increased anxiety that can impact work performance.  A major culprit is our inability to set boundaries. We now work in times where we are constantly plugged in and disconnecting seems like something we can’t or are afraid of doing.  However, constantly denying yourself time will surely lead you to failure or disappointing those who really need you. This is where establishing boundaries can really help you. Whether your role is to lead a project or lead people, setting boundaries is certain to help you in the long run.

Let’s start by removing guilt. Most people, especially at work, have a desire to please others and do well.  This means that we often go along with things, or we say yes to things that we should say no to.  Setting boundaries is all about taking care of yourself.  It’s about making yourself a priority.  Why is it important to set boundaries?  I’m fairly certain as a manager you want to create a welcoming environment where people you manage feel supported.  Or perhaps, if you manage a project and not people, you want them to feel safe coming to you with their concerns.  If you fail to care for yourself first, you will likely find it impossible to achieve your goals of creating a safe and supportive environment.  In fact, you may create a toxic environment. You shouldn’t feel that you are letting people down by setting boundaries – you should feel as though you are allowing people to experience the best version of you.

Here are some ideas on setting boundaries:

• The first step in the boundary process is identifying your needs. This is a reflective process as no one will know this better than you.  You should ask yourself questions such as “what matters to you” or “where do you need to invest your energy”.
• Next, you want to define your boundaries. This is where you begin to shape things to put them in to action.  I like to think of this as my personal guide of what I will (and will not) do.
• Finally, you need to communicate it. There’s no need of going through the previous bullets if you are not going to share that information with others.  It’s important that you hold people accountable to the boundaries you established.  If someone violated a boundary, take time to explain and redirect.

The list above is just some suggestions on how to establish boundaries.  If this is your first time setting boundaries, you may find it a little difficult.  I’d recommend reaching out to a colleague who has demonstrated effectively how to establish boundaries and ask them for advise.  See what they did that helped their situation and see how you can pull from their example.

As a leader you have a very important role.  It’s important that you prioritize yourself first by creating clear boundaries that will allow you to be an effective leader.