11/04/2026
Think about the last email you sent after 10 p.m. Did it really need to go out that night?
Having no boundaries probably helped you get where you are.
Always available, always the first to respond, always willing to take on more. In the short run, that works.
I learned this the hard way. I was in at 7:45 a.m. and working until 7 p.m., always on and never rested.
I started to resent the people who worked “normal” hours. I felt like no one was working as hard as I was, when in reality I wasn’t taking a healthy approach to work, and it was affecting how I showed up.
I see the same compounding effect in my coaching. After years without boundaries, decisions get made tired, and teams start to trust a leader’s mood more than their message.
Start by telling your team what to expect: “I’m offline after 7 most evenings. If something is truly urgent, call me. Otherwise I’ll respond by 9 a.m. What working hours work best for you?”
That last question comes from my Blueprint for Better Team Communication, and it invites them to set theirs too.
If your team had to predict how you’d react to bad news on a Friday afternoon, could they?
DM me if you’d like my free Blueprint for Better Team Communication which gives you a practical strategy with specific questions to ask to set up your team with optimal communication that doesn’t burn you or your team out.