5 Essential Leadership Boundaries
March 7, 2024 | By David M. Wagner
Leading without clear boundaries is like ceding control of the wheel to a carful of backseat drivers.
There’s no guarantee you’ll reach your destination. And you can expect a lot of detours.
Sound chaotic? It is. And yet nonprofit leaders face all kinds of pressure to relax, or even ignore, important boundaries.
We try to accommodate requests from important funders, even when the requests make us uncomfortable.
We sometimes let unprofessional conduct slide, worried it will be too difficult to replace staff in important roles.
We let the demands of the job and the mission encroach on our personal lives.
(“Wait,” I hear some of you say, “what personal lives??” Exactly.)
Boundaries Protect Us and Our Teams
Setting and enforcing clear boundaries as leaders protects our individual energy and capacity.
And much like attending to our own needs also benefits our teams, boundaries preserve our organization’s ability to carry out its mission.
There’s no limit (ha) to where you can set boundaries. Here are five essential ways nonprofit leaders can keep hold of the wheel.
1. Set clear expectations for working hours and responsiveness.
This is often the first boundary to go when things get busy. Working long hours depletes your energy and sets a poor example for your team. Instead, master the art of saying “yes…and not right now,” and other boundary-respecting ways to protect your time.
2. Clarify what’s your job, and what’s someone else’s.
It’s tempting to step in when others are struggling or to shield your team from new work. But doing work that logically belongs to someone else deprives them of a chance to step up, learn, or even shine! It also puts boundary #1 at risk. Delegate and set reasonable expectations for tasks.
3. Enforce norms of acceptable behavior.
Even when a staff member (or board member, or funder, or…) feels irreplaceable, tolerating unacceptable behavior is never worth it. Hold everyone (including yourself!) accountable to clear, straightforward norms. That doesn’t always mean cutting ties. And it nearly always creates a better culture that helps retain everyone else.
4. Set time limits for deliberation on key decisions.
There can be many roadblocks to decision making. Don’t let fear of making the wrong choice delay timely action, and don’t let “listening” stand in the way of action. Set a deadline for deliberation and commit to making a decision.
5. Stick to your guns on mission or strategy.
Funding opportunities, key stakeholder requests, and unmet community needs can tempt us to deviate from our defining mission. There are, of course, good reasons to shift our plans. But hold fast to core values and say “no” to opportunities that stray from the enduring vision your and your stakeholders created for your organization.
Stay in the driver’s seat by using effective boundaries to safeguard your organization from deteriorating culture, mission creep, and other risks – and preserve your own sanity. Set a free consultation today to discuss how coaching can help you with boundaries.