Boundaries for Leaders (Enhanced Edition): Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously In Charge

that means it is probably transferable. Leadership demands that you move it down the organizational tree. If there is a known path of the work, and it is repetitive, it can probably be taught. And if someone else can be taught to do it, it might be time to delegate that work, so that you can get back to doing what only you can do: lead.

“big rocks first” rule.

“Missing this deadline is not the problem. The problem is that missing deadlines is more than a problem. It is a pattern with you. So I do not want to talk about it anymore, as that does not help. I want to have a different conversation. I want to talk about the fact that talking about problems with you does not help, and we need to do something di

high value. And we lose our way. When you know how much time you have available, and that it is fixed, you will spend it strategically. It forces you to focus on what truly drives the business.

A Sense of Urgency, ignoring them is not an option, but there are a few ways you can effectively deal with them: distract them (give them something else to do so their energy and attention are elsewhere); expose them (keep them in the light so their arguments are seen by all to be just negativity and resistance); or remove them. But you have to set

The lesson is this: boundaries on time, just like financial budgets, force us to prioritize good decisions. If we treat time like it is unlimited, we will say yes to a lot of things that really are not

Here is the important distinction: problems, when addressed, are solved. Patterns, when addressed as if they were only a problem to be solved, remain. This is where many leaders get stuck, as they often are depending on someone’s performance to turn around, yet it continues to be the same. They just keep telling them to do better. They only address

there is another group that you must be very diligent about seeking feedback from: your key stakeholders.

“How can I best meet your needs?”