Leadership Book Review Blog: Boundaries for Leaders

I read this book in a total of 4 hours this week and have already reference it three times in conversations with colleagues and clients. Maybe it was easy to reference because of how recently I read it. Maybe it was just that relatable.

When I read Boundaries many, many moons ago, I found so much value in the messaging and lessons contained in the book. It was no surprise that when I got my hands on this version, I couldn’t wait to dive in. But it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would mostly be about managing work and delegating. Wrong. It was so much more!

The theme that kept coming up throughout the book is that as a leader, you are ridiculously in charge. You are in charge of yourself, your team, your strategic priorities, the culture, and your employees’ engagement, well-being, and retention. Your success is dependent on what you create or what you allow to exist.

Dr. Henry Cloud (author) is a psychologist who incorporates brain science and research into the content, helping readers to understand the “why” behind our success or failures. He includes real life scenarios that leaders can relate to, thought-provoking questions that will prompt you to think about the environment you create in a deeper, more meaningful way, and there are are also frameworks that can be applied in any type of business.

Because overwhelm is such a common concern for clients, I wanted to highlight a helpful suggestion. Dr. Cloud, like so many other consultants, is an advocate for doing a time study when you feel like there is too much on your plate. No one likes to hear the words “time study” and you are likely thinking, “I am too busy already, now you want me track everything I am doing every 15 minutes.” The result, however, is a spotlight on key areas of opportunity that you might overlook otherwise. One opportunity here is to evaluate what is VITAL and what is URGENT. Urgent items can often hijack our to-do list, taking us away from the activities that are VITAL. Find the right balance for yourself here and set a boundary.

A boundary is a structure for what will exist and what will not. As a leader, you are ridiculously in charge of the boundaries within your team, department, and company. What are you creating? What are you allowing to exist?

When should you read this book? When you are ready to take action and set boundaries. Don’t read this book and then set it on a shelf to collect dust, there’s value in what you will learn and you have to actively implement the strategies, because after all, you are ridiculously in charge.

Find it on Amazon to get your copy today.

If you love it, Dr. Cloud also has Boundaries for Marriage, Boundaries for Teens, and Boundaries for Kids.