The importance of boundaries
I recently shared in our Facebook group (Millennials Advancing Leadership Skills) this story of A REAL question I got from a friend last week who is finding himself super stressed as he manages a team during COVID times:
"Do you think it’s valid to ask staff to only contact me with questions via email or g-chat? Also, creating a who-to-go-to chart for staff..... too much? I’m going to lose my cookies."
🤯 What do you think I told him?
Of course, it's valid to set expectations, create a system, and have boundaries with your team members! This is actually something we should all do from the beginning of our direct-report management relationships. As Brené Brown says, "Clear is kind, unclear is unkind." -- so it's actually way more kind and beneficial to set clear boundaries with your people.
They don't need to be texting you *URGENT!!* all the time, and vice versa -- you shouldn't be doing that to them either. Create a system where people use a Slack or Teams channel to ask for help. It's better to think ahead rather than to find ourselves in an "emergency" situation where something is needed ASAP. Texting is (for many of us) too immediate and direct, so finding an alternative way to organize communication and requests.
How have you set boundaries or clear expectations with your team members?
#vaxacollective #leadershipdevelopment #workplaceculture #employeeengagement #boundaries