On my organic and not marketized Instagram account, I love sharing real insights from my clients. This week’s topic? BOUNDARIES.
Because setting boundaries is not a luxury, it’s an essential leadership skill.
And boundaries are not just about saying “no” to meetings!
Boundaries are about self-respect, self-esteem, energy management, time management, mental health and clarity.
Their practice (or their absence!) defines how we show up in our personal life and at work.
There is a book I highly recommend, “The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem” by Dr. Nathaniel Branden, Canadian therapist, pioneer in self-esteem psychology. He offers a “stem sentences” exercice to help people imagine doing things differently, but just 5% at a time.
5% at a time. Laughably doable, isn’t it?
Strengthening your inner authority through small, consistent shifts of 5% works.
Using Dr. Branden’s approach, I asked my clients:
“If you decided to set 5% more boundaries in your work life today, what would you say or do differently?”
Their insights:
✅ Prioritizing self-care: no more self-sacrifice.
✅ Letting go of power games.
✅ Stepping away from gossiping, complaining and sharing victim stories.
✅ Detaching from fixing others’ problems, it’s not my job!
✅ Creating space for my energy and health: lunch breaks, daily walks, social connections
✅ Feeling okay (not guilty) not being reachable by phone or email
✅ Slowing down and pausing before saying yes or no
And last but not least:
✅ giving myself the recognition and the validation that I was craving for, on a regular basis.
When you honor your needs and respect your limits, you inspire others to do the same.
What’s one 5% shift you can make this week to set stronger boundaries in your work or personal life?
#Leadership #Boundaries #Energymanagement #PersonalGrowth #effectivecommunication #mentalhealth
