To be an effective leader, you must know how to establish boundaries. When you set boundaries, you set limits on what you will accept and what you won’t. Without boundaries, you will always be focused on other people’s priorities instead of your own.

According to Ben Brearley, MBA, the founder of Thoughtful Leader, some of the most common boundaries in the workplace revolve around time management, working styles, privacy and behavior. Some leaders might establish firm boundaries on disrespectful behavior, while others may set boundaries on work requests in the evenings.

While every leader and situation is different, Brearley says there are some common steps leaders can take to set boundaries at work. We share his thoughts in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

Define your personal boundaries. To understand the areas of work you want to protect, consider your trigger points. Brearley says your trigger points are those times where someone’s actions make you feel uncomfortable or upset. This could be another department dropping work on your team unexpectedly or a stakeholder who wants to be involved in a project unnecessarily. Think about areas at work where people regularly take liberties and push your buttons. Give these areas your attention.

Take a stand. You can’t set a boundary if you don’t take a clear position, says Brearley. Tell your team the problem area and define your boundary on the issue. For example, if your sales reps regularly book 4:30 pm meetings with you but you can’t stay late because of family commitments, take a stand that you won’t attend meetings after 4 pm. As a leader, you have a right to work in a way that helps you be most effective.

Automate your boundary. You can send a clear signal to your team by using a system or process to reinforce a boundary. This can also help you manage your time, notes Brearley. For example, set your office hours in your work calendar to end at 4:30 pm so your team knows you are unavailable for meetings or other work discussions past that time.

Stay consistent. Once you define your boundaries, be firm about sticking to them. If your sales reps and colleagues see that you change course frequently, they won’t know what you want. This means that if you sometimes accept end-of-day meetings but sometimes push back on them, you’ll send confusing signals to your team. By staying consistent, you are training the people around you to behave in a certain way. If you let your team members overstep your boundaries, they won’t learn.

Setting boundaries is crucial for leading your team well. You don’t need to set boundaries for every aspect of your work, but you should identify what matters most to you. Be clear about your position and try to automate your boundaries when possible. And to increase the chances of others quickly learning what you will and will not accept, you should stay consistent. With the right boundaries in place, you will feel calm and capable in your role.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Ben Brearley, MBA, is the founder of Thoughtful Leader. He is a coach and former management consultant who is passionate about developing thoughtful, effective leaders.