Boundaries Don’t Define Commitment
Why Setting Boundaries at Work Makes You a Better Leader
Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to lead many teams in many different environments. And regardless of industry, team size, business hours, or title, one thing I've learned is that how we work is just as important as the work we're doing. Specifically, I’m talking about availability.
In today’s technology-driven world, there can be a lot of pressure to stay available. Answer the email. Take the call. Jump on the problem. Stay a bit later. Refresh your browser just one more time. Help one more customer. It can be a lot. And before I continue, let me say that I do understand that sometimes there is an emergent business need that requires us to stay available. There are emergencies. There are deadlines. There are moments when the team needs you to step up. But when the exception becomes the expectation, something changes. Suddenly, being available at all times starts to become a measure of commitment.
And I don't think it should be. You can care deeply about your work without allowing it to consume your life.
And that's where boundaries come in. Boundaries aren't about doing or caring less. They're about creating a sustainable way to do the work well. Sometimes a boundary looks like leaving work at the end of the day because you have somewhere else you need to be. Sometimes it means not answering an email until tomorrow. Sometimes it means taking your vacation and actually disconnecting. Sometimes it means telling your team, "I don't need you to respond to this tonight." And often, it means recognizing that something can wait and allowing that wait to happen.
None of those things mean you care less about your work, your job, your company, your colleagues, or your customers. In fact, I’d argue the opposite can be true.
When people are constantly operating at full capacity, eventually something gives. Energy. Creativity. Patience. Focus. Engagement. Passion. Quality. Pride. We can't expect people to bring their best selves to work indefinitely if we create an environment that leaves no room for them to be a whole person outside of it. And this is where I think leaders have a particular responsibility.
Our teams watch what we do far more closely than they listen to what we say. We can tell people to take time off, but if we never take ours, the message isn't landing. We can tell people they don't have to answer emails after hours, but if we're constantly sending them, they may feel the pressure to respond. We can say that family, health, relationships, and life outside of work matter, but if we reward the people who are always available, our actions are telling a different story. Leadership isn't just about setting expectations for performance outcomes. It's also about setting expectations for how we work. And that means modeling boundaries ourselves. I've never believed that being a good leader means being available to everyone all the time.
Work is an important part of our lives. There will always be moments when your team needs you. There will always be important decisions to make and problems that need to be solved. But if everything is the highest priority, then nothing can truly be prioritized.
But work is not our entire life.
Like us, the people we lead have families, friends, hobbies, responsibilities, passions, communities, commitments, and much-needed quiet time. Every person you meet has a life that has nothing to do with their job, and I think we owe it to ourselves and to the people we lead to remember that.
People shouldn't have to burn themselves out to prove that they care. And leaders shouldn't create cultures where they feel like they have to, either.
Setting boundaries doesn't mean we care less about the work. It means we're trying to make sure we can keep showing up in all areas of our lives, without losing ourselves in the process.
