The reason we do the work we do at Navicet is because we care about developing teams that love the work they do, and do amazing work. The way people work together is just as important as the work they do together. Setting boundaries, both individually and as a team, are valuable tools to live our lives more aligned to our personal and professional values.
In addition to living a life aligned to your personal values, here are five benefits you can unlock when you and your team members set boundaries:
Boundaries Save Time and Prevent Decision-Fatigue
Boundaries are a pre-defined, categorical “yes,” “no,” or “under these conditions” decisions that we can communicate to others. In our Cultivating Team Attention workshop, we say that “where your attention goes is what grows.” I don’t want to spend my attention analyzing the same dynamics every time a similar situation pops up if there’s a recognizable pattern that helps me make a decision that I’ll feel good about later – both for myself and with others. Clear boundaries about expectations saves me and my team from decision fatigue. By having boundaries, we can focus our attention on the areas where we’ll be most effective, find the most joy, and create the most value.
Setting Boundaries Encourages Generosity
People with clear personal boundaries aren’t stingy or operating with a scarcity mindset – in contrast, these people are more likely to be generous and collaborative. Boundaries can guide our focus into the areas where we have the most to offer and the most benefit and value created from collaborating with others. When a team sets clear boundaries with each other and as a whole, the things they do together are an emphatic "yes!" because they are clear on their values, which makes it easier to avoid tasks that aren’t aligned.
Clear Boundaries Create Predictability and Comfort
When I'm working with people who have set their own personal boundaries, I find myself at ease. I don’t have to worry that I might ask someone to do something that they'll say "yes" to out of obligation or that I’m asking them something that makes them deeply uncomfortable. I am an enthusiastic person with a big personality, so I pay close attention to creating space for someone to say "no" or back out without having it feel confrontational. When we share our personal policies with each other, we can go farther and faster together, and with more comfort. People with strong personal boundaries can still be flexible, creative explorers. Setting boundaries increases predictability when it comes to situations where that boundary is relevant – but setting boundaries doesn’t require that you relinquish your sense of adventure, openness, or exploration.
Defining Boundaries as a Team Supports Psychological Safety and Builds Trust
Sometimes discomfort in a situation is a signal to reflect and dig deeper into what is causing that discomfort. Some boundaries we find after experiences that compromise something important, and some we define proactively. Perhaps there’s a personal value that’s being challenged or compromised that is worth exploring as a team. When teams are able to have open conversations to explore discomfort and define boundaries together, they’re better able to count on each other and know how to support one another. Reducing reactivity and increasing consistency builds trust among team members.
Boundaries Can Be a Powerful Agent of Change
Some boundaries are more like personal commitments to ourselves rather than policies we share with other people. For example, one of my personal boundaries is I'm willing to be in difficult conversations and listen deeply to someone I disagree with, but I'm not willing to continue participating in a conversation if someone continually hurls direct insults at me. That's when the conversation ends for me. When we have and hold our boundaries, we’re less likely to do things we regret or take actions that conflict with our own personal beliefs. This also means that it frees up more space in our lives to take action on things that matter most to us, resulting in powerful, positive changes and more meaning in our lives.
Boundaries are personal policies and sometimes they’re requests of acceptance and respect from others. While occasionally someone might say no, disagree, or become upset in response when you exercise a boundary, consider how you can mitigate this by surfacing the “why” behind the boundary, what it is you’d like to focus more on, and what you believe will be the impact by setting this boundary.
Taking action to set and communicate boundaries helps us spend less time bogged down in misunderstandings or unfulfilling tasks, and more time aligned with our personal and professional values, setting us all up for amazing teamwork and success.