How to Make Boundaries Work at Work

Executive leaders, boundaries (line demarcating limits of one’s responsibility) at work only work when:

1️⃣ You are clear about where your responsibilities start and end.

2️⃣ You are clear where others’ responsibilities start and end.

3️⃣ You stay within the parameters of your responsibilities.

Taking each in turn:

1️⃣ Clarity on Your Responsibilities

You:

✅ set the vision

✅ guide the strategy

✅ define performance standards and deliverables

✅ model values and behaviors

✅ equip and empower people

✅ align resources and capabilities

✅ and ensure systemic monitoring, evaluation, learning

to achieve desired results.

2️⃣ Clarity on Others' Responsibilities

You:

✅ define all stakeholders’ responsibilities.

✅ ensure they understand and are equipped to assume their responsibilities.

✅ clarify and align demarcation and expectations between your responsibilities and theirs.

This will look different with each stakeholder, whether shareholders, board directors, management, staff, customers, suppliers, or the public.

3️⃣ Reinforce Boundaries

Clarity of boundaries does not automatically result in separation of responsibilities.

You:

✅ Systematically reinforce and periodically re-evaluate the boundary lines between your responsibilities and theirs.

✅ Reinforcing boundaries could look like:

✔️Doing your job and refraining from doing others.

As long as they are aligned with business objectives, let your brilliant people develop solutions around their work, performance, and contribution to the business.

It will allow people to own their decisions and the consequences of their actions or inaction rather than swooping in to control or micro-manage.

The same applies to boundaries between teams, units, functions, etc.

✔️Making an executive decision rather than dumping it on others.

This is a reminder of the accountability executive leaders have over others’ responsibilities. As one of the chief executives, for instance, the buck stops with you in your area. Equally so for board and shareholder positions.

✔️ Exercising self-control rather than making others responsible for regulating you, and vice versa.

Equip yourself with the support, skills, and tools to control your emotions, consumption, workload, and performance to regulate yourself so that you don’t misbehave and force others to adjust to you.

Also, learn to create an enabling environment and hold the space for others to be able to do the same.

✅ If you need help establishing or reinforcing boundaries at work, book a call with Modesta Mahiga to explore tailored solutions that would work for you, your team, and your organization.

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