• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Services
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • hello@fireupandlead.com

Fire Up & Lead, LLC

Inspiring entrepreneurs to DO better and BE better because it matters HOW you succeed.

Home
  • Home
  • Services
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • hello@fireupandlead.com

3 Ways to Build Trust by Setting Boundaries

August 25, 2021 by Stacy Whaley — Dare to Lead

3 Ways to Build Trust by Setting Boundaries

It’s been over a year of navigating the unknowns of virtual and hybrid work. Businesses have made significant pivots and we’ve all been forced to be flexible and learn on the fly as we deal with the avalanche of constant change. 

We can’t deny the impact that this extra layer of stress & overwhelm has had on our workplaces. Whether you’re working virtually, in person, or somewhere in between, the pandemic has taken a toll on how we work and communicate, causing employees to feel a lack of trust and belonging.

That’s why boundaries are so important for any team as they navigate today’s workplace, especially around communication.

Here are 3 ways to set boundaries to help build trust within your team.

 

 1. Be Clear.

Let’s start with the concept of ‘Clear is Kind, Unclear is Unkind.’ 

Here’s a snippet from Brene Brown around this concept: 

 “Sometimes speaking the truth feels like we are being unkind, especially when sharing difficult information or feedback.  But in reality, dancing around the truth is unkind. 

When we avoid stating the truth, when we are vague or ambiguous under the guise of being kind, it is often because we are trying to lessen the discomfort for ourselves, not for the other person.” 

Contrary to what many of us have been told, “if you have nothing nice to say say nothing at all.” But that mentality doesn’t help teams innovate and provide world-class service. It stalls a team and stunts its growth.   

Instead, be clear about what you need. This allows a team to work through challenges instead of avoiding them and walking around on eggshells around each other. It gives other people the opportunity to change their behavior so that future obstacles can be avoided.

If you aren’t clear, the people around you may not know anything is wrong and won’t change their behavior. This will only cause the problem to grow. You assume they ‘should know better’ and it’s their fault for not reading your mind. In reality, it is your responsibility to be clear – not for them to be mind readers.

If you catch yourself using the excuse “I don’t want to hurt their feelings” to avoid a tough conversation, challenge yourself to lean into being kind by being clear. It will likely be uncomfortable at first, but the more you practice, the easier it will be. And it will pay off in the long run. Your team will begin to build trust when they realize there is a culture of openness and honesty.

 

2. Define what’s okay, what’s not okay, and why.

Now that we’ve set a culture of clear and open communication, we can set more boundaries around what is and is not okay. This helps everyone stay on the same page.

By setting boundaries, we’re making it super clear what is okay, what’s not okay, and why. These expectations should be clear and communicated to everyone.

These definitions start with leadership. Leaders are responsible for setting the tone of what flies and what does not in the workplace. When leaders not only talk the talk but walk the walk, the rest of the team will follow.

Empowering everyone with a common language on how to communicate when someone is not acting in alignment with the agreed-to boundaries is another important step in this process.

Giving a team clear guidelines, but also the tools they need to navigate when someone does do something that is not okay can be truly transformational. 

 

3. Create A Communication User Guide 

Now that we’ve been clear and defined what’s okay and what’s not okay, it’s time to document it.

‘If everyone knows what’s expected, then why do we need to write it down?’

No team is perfect. Even with clear boundaries and trusting relations, conflict and miscommunications will happen. And when they do, it’s best to have a clear set of documented standards to go back to. This will keep the situation objective and yes, clear.

This will also help new team members navigate the company culture. Instead of everyone following the unwritten rules of the office, they will have clearly defined, written policies and procedures to return to. This saves time and takes out the guesswork. It lets everyone know what’s expected instead of assuming everyone is on the same page.  

In a communication user guide, leaders can summarize their:  

  • Communication style and how to best communicate with  
  • Response time expectations and email etiquette
  • Hierarchy of communication from urgent to FYI
  • Reporting chain  
  • How to best approach me when you want to give me feedback

 

Boundaries Build Trust

By clearly communicating what’s okay, what’s not okay, and why, you’ll make it easy for everyone to understand and respect workplace boundaries. Remember – CLEAR IS KIND! Be kind to your team by being clear about what is expected of them and how they can best communicate with you and each other.

For those of us who love learning about communication styles, workplace culture, and self-development, this stuff may sound like a no-brainer. But not everyone is like us!

That’s why it’s even more important to set clear boundaries and expectations on what we need in the workplace. Everyone is different. Everyone has different comfort levels and communication styles.

This will help your team avoid unnecessary conflict and miscommunications while saving everyone time and energy. What company doesn’t want that?

If your team is struggling with communication, let’s chat! We’d love to talk through your team’s unique strengths and challenges to find where you can build more trust through boundary setting and communication.

 

 

« Building BRAVING Trust
4 Tips for Creating a Powerful Vision Statement »

Recent Posts

  • These 4 Workplace Weaknesses Are Affecting Your Retention
  • Do What You Say You’ll Do – Building Trusting Relationships through Reliability
  • 4 Tips for Creating a Powerful Vision Statement
  • 3 Ways to Build Trust by Setting Boundaries
  • Building BRAVING Trust
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Fire Up & Succeed!

Grab your free copy of Fire Up & Lead's Reflection Worksheet.

When it comes to dealing with conflict, it's easy When it comes to dealing with conflict, it's easy to get caught up in the moment and respond in a way you may regret later. 

Instead of automatically reacting when conflict arises, take a step back. Learn to recognize an automatic thought vs. a conscience conclusion. It's important to develop this habit of examing our reactions. 

Ask yourself these questions...

Why do I think the way I do?

Is my conclusion of the situation the truth?

What if I were to have a more generous assumption?
 
Reframing how we think about conflict starts with stepping back from our emotions. It's about learning to rise by not getting emotionally hooked in every situation.

It's not easy, and it will take practice! But choosing to come to a conscience conclusion with help to choose a more productive response when conflict does arise.
Workplace conflict doesn't just take a mental and Workplace conflict doesn't just take a mental and emotional toll on employees. It can cause serious amounts of time and money to go down the drain. 

The average employee spends 2.8 hours per week dealing with conflict. That's an estimated $359 billion in wages going to conflict nationwide. 

That's a lot of time, money, and resources being wasted every week!

So how can you reduce the cost of conflict? 

By developing strategies for productive conflict - the kind that helps everyone see eye to eye and resolve issues efficiently. 

Want to chat about how conflict is affecting your team? Schedule a call! We'd love to discuss solutions to help your team!
Happy Monday, everyone! What are you looking forwa Happy Monday, everyone! What are you looking forward to this week?

Let us know in the comments! 

FIRE UP and have a great week!🔥
Conflict is a part of life, and the workplace is n Conflict is a part of life, and the workplace is no exception. To understand conflict, we have to take a look at a company's entire culture.
 

On the surface, there's the 'way we do things'. This includes a company's mission, vision, and values, policies, strategy, and goals. But that's just half of it. 

 
As we see in The Cultural Iceberg, underneath the surface is the true culture of an organization. These are the elements that can affect (positively or negatively) the way your organization actually runs, despite how inspiring your mission and vision may be.
 

It's important for leaders and organizations to address the way things are actually being done - not just make sure the mission statement sounds good. 

 
When we talk about norms, expectations, and beliefs, we can make sure we are actually on the same page.

Want helpful content like this delivered straight to your inbox? Join our Fire Up Your Monday community newsletter! Each week, we share inspiration and motivation to get you ready
to take on the week! 

Head to the link in our bio to join!🔥
Happy National Small Business Week! Small busine Happy National Small Business Week! 

Small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities. Don’t forget to support all the local restaurants, shops and service providers who make our communities so unique and vibrant. 

What are some of your favorite local businesses? Tag them in the comments so we can all give them some love!🤗
Day by day, week by week, you are getting closer t Day by day, week by week, you are getting closer to your goals. 

Even on the weeks it feels like you’ve taken one steps forward and three steps back, you are still making progress. 

It’s all part of the journey💜

Fire Up & Lead, LLC

1152 Hilary Street
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
715-563-2461
hello@fireupandlead.com

Business Hours

Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday-Sunday: CLOSED

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
Copyright © 2022 Fire Up & Lead, LLC · All Rights Reserved · Designed with by Elevate5 · Log in