This is the latest installment in my ongoing series about helping you reduce career friction, so you can work at your highest level of excellence and achieve your goals. Each month I’ll point out a different aspect of friction, and share some communication strategies and mindset tips for handling it. FYI, I don’t use AI for any of this!
Last time I talked about the importance of burnout-proofing yourself, because burnout is potentially the greatest source of friction in your career.
In order to prevent burnout, you’re going to need to put some Power Boundaries around your time and energy, which will help reduce friction so you can do your best work.
How do you know if you need Power Boundaries? Trust me, you do! Even my clients who are high-level leaders at Fortune 100 companies need help with this.
Here are three ways to communicate Power Boundaries in common situations:
“Your project is compelling, but I’m focused on achieving excellence with my team on our current one. I’m excited to work on new projects next quarter.” You may be concerned that you won’t be seen as a team player, but accepting more work without considering if it will impact the state of what you’re currency working on is a bad strategy that puts you on the road to burnout. Bringing excellence to your own work is actually the best way to achieve your goals and make a big impact. So make it crystal-clear that you’re working on something that requires your full attention, but don’t leave them hanging. Let them know when you’ll be free to work with them on something new, and follow-up as soon as you can.
“I’m going to give you another chance to perform this task. In its current state it would never be approved by Senior leadership, so please raise the tone. If you have questions about the details, ask your teammates for help. I look forward to reviewing the new version by EOD tomorrow.” Don’t let your team get away with shoddy work! Be crystal-clear that you’re not going to accept it. Think of it as an opportunity for them to grow. Empower them to fix it on their own by leveraging their teammates’ expertise. Make sure to give them a deadline, so they understand that your patience is limited.
“This is an exciting new project, and it’s an opportunity to raise our level of team excellence. I expect that you’ll perform each task with that in mind, and hold each other accountable for the various tasks and timelines that need to be accomplished. I’ll be here to offer support as needed.” Setting expectations before you offer support is a crucial Power Boundary to draw with your team. I’ve coached plenty of Senior managers who are burned out from over-supporting sagging teams. Make your expectations clear, and repeat them at every stage of the project. You may notice some initial friction from the team, especially if they’ve grown used to you doing all the heavy lifting. Don’t panic, just let them adult their way through it.
I hope you find this helpful! These are just some of the skills I work on with clients every day. Put your questions in the comments, or contact me for more info about all my Executive Power Voice coaching packages and group trainings.