Leading in the Now and Post Pandemic
The old “Do as I say, not as I do …” style has never been effective; however, it does still exist. And yes, I can already hear the sniggers as great leaders around the world recite that phrase in their heads – it’s the epidemy of leadership, right? Well, my challenge for you, all leaders great or otherwise; are you leading ‘the right things’ by example as our world becomes increasingly uncertain, ambiguous, and complex?
As we continue, more than ever, to adapt to a world of uncertainty, great leaders will need to help their people find certainty in the things they can control, provide direction and a centre of focus through prioritisation, and most importantly set boundaries that allow clarity and provide a sense of control over their experience.
Over 3 Parts
I’m going to explore, what I believe, are 3 fundamentals every leader must focus on to balance the success and wellbeing of both themselves and their people; being priorities, certainty, and boundaries; and how at the intersection of these leaders can bring back a sense of control, clarity, and a centre of focus for their teams, ensuring they, their teams and their organisations continue to thrive.
These statements and more I hear daily from the leaders I work with. Not only are they concerned for the impact on the quality of work, but also for the health of their people. And if we are honest, this type of pressure is going to continue, change will continue to create more change, companies will continue to be more accountable to shareholders, and the pressure on our people will rise.
Boundaries, what boundaries?
If, as a leader, you can’t set and demonstrate clear boundaries for yourself, then how can you expect to help your team set healthy boundaries?
Pre-COVID, boundaries between work and life already began to blur, accessible 24/7 through handheld devices. Many welcomed this, having flexibility to check and answer emails, organize calendars, and ‘stay on top’ of the workload, lulling ourselves into a false sense of ‘control’. But although more accessible, we had a buffer zone - different physical locations enforced default boundaries and, of course, our commute allowed us space for the mental shift needed between work/home and vice versa.
Many may admit the blurring of boundaries, over time, begins to place increased pressures and stress at home, on relationships, our priorities. In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Human Capital in 2018 found that as the lines between work and home blurred there was an increase in conflict between work and home, resulting in increased levels of stress. Perhaps not a surprise for some.
Yet, now amid a global pandemic we find ourselves ‘living at work’ with home, work, and school combined; all ‘default’ boundaries immediately removed and any consciously set boundaries a haze. Last year, Aveeva conducted a study across 4,000 employees in the UK with over 50% of participants agreeing their work home boundaries were becoming increasingly blurred. And although many participants welcomed the flexibility working from home created, they also found the ‘blurring’ of boundaries a large source of stress, unease, and uncertainty.
Just Imagine
Imagine a new board game (not a board game fan, computer game then) everyone has been raving about. You ordered it online weeks ago and it’s finally arrived. You’ve invited your closest friends over for dinner and to play the game. You open the box, unpack the pieces, only to realise the rules are missing. Not to worry, it can’t be that hard, we’ll just work it out. How do you imagine it would turn out? When it comes to playing games, people enter the interaction with different approaches, needs and expectations, so without a clear set of rules to guide all the players, in a very short period you would come to see that proceeding without the rules would not be sustainable.
Neither is leading now or post pandemic without clearly defined boundaries sustainable! And the “this will be over soon, and we can go back to normal” approach is foolish. This is the new normal and our leaders need to re-write the rules for the new game we are playing, setting clear boundaries, and leading by example.
Yet boundaries remain an enigma at work, in our relationships, and at home. We say we must set clear boundaries, but we find it difficult to set them and when we do, we break them. With “living at work” the new normal and work encroaching on our personal lives like never before, there are no boundaries unless we set them. So how?
6 Types of Boundaries
Most importantly you need to understand the differing boundaries and how they help or hinder:
Time boundaries protect the use, or misuse of our time. It means understanding your priorities and setting aside time for these without overcommitting. It may sound like “I can’t come to this meeting as my daughter has a home-schooling lesson at this time. Could we schedule it for later today?” Or “I would love to be involved, but I would be overcommitting myself.”
Emotional boundaries protect our well-being, feelings and energy. It may sound like “I really can’t talk about this right now. It isn’t the right time, perhaps we can schedule some time tomorrow”.
Intellectual boundaries refer to our thoughts, ideas and curiosity and include respecting the ideas of others. It may sound like this “I know we disagree, but it’s not ok to speak to me like that.” Or “I can respect that we have different opinions on this.”
Material boundaries protect our physical belongings, what we will share, expectations around how others will treat them. And might sound like “I am happy to lend you my iPad, but please not let anyone else use it and please return it fully charged.”
Physical boundaries protect our personal space, comfort with touch and physical needs like rest and nutrition. This might sound like “I’ve really need to eat. I’m going to grab something do you want to come with me, and we can discuss it on the way?”.
Sexual boundaries include agreement, respect, privacy, and consent
Helping You Help Your Team
As a leader you need to lead by example and set your own boundaries first. Then and only then, can you help your people.
Firstly, evaluate your own needs and get clear on what it is you need from your leader, your work, and your family to be present, effective, and productive (on both sides of the fence; work and home).
Secondly, what is it you can offer them in return? ie. During the hours of 9am and 4.30pm no one is to enter the home office or interrupt me unless it is a life-or-death experience. In return I promise I will be fully present and engage with the family from 5pm until bedtime
Thirdly, communicate your boundaries, obtain understanding, and put them in writing.
Then be consistent, hold yourself and others accountable, also give others permission to hold you to account.
Lastly, re-evaluate. What is working, what needs tweaking, has anything changed and then repeat the above steps.
I would love to hear your thoughts.