Where are the Edges?
Bryan Yager
My passion is helping leaders, teams and organizations achieve results and expand their capacity for growth and success.
First a quote: “There are two types of sages: sages who tell us what we should do and sages who tell us what we shouldn’t do.” ― Eraldo Banovac
I frequently think about how fortunate and privileged I am to do the work I do. Almost every week I am working with experienced and knowledgeable people from a wide variety of industries; all with different backgrounds, education, and life experiences than my own. The work I do is both rewarding and educational for me.
Like you in your line of work, I have an opportunity to learn from every person I meet while facilitating workshops around the country, indeed the world. How lucky am I? I like to say it this way:
“If you see yourself as a learner, then the world is your university, and every person you meet is a teacher with lessons to share.”
Last week, I had the chance to work with, and learn from, a group of executives in Oklahoma City. (The timing was difficult for them because their plant had been hit by a tornado the night before our workshop. The plant was temporarily shut down for repair, fortunately no one was hurt.) The workshop I was facilitating was focused on two topics; change leadership and strategic leadership.
At one point, we were discussing a leader’s responsibility for setting boundaries for their team when one of the participants shared a short story he had learned on his life’s path. (Thank you Mark.) He wasn’t certain but thought perhaps the lesson he shared was from a sermon he once heard. I regret I’m not able to identify, or give proper credit to the original source, but story went something like this:
If you were to put a group of young children on a school playground without fences or barriers for protection from the outside world, they would likely play in the center of that playground. Their desire to stay huddled up in middle of the playground is likely driven by their fear of the unknown and outside dangers. It is fear that limits the desire for most of us (not just children) to explore the world beyond our comfort zones.
However, once the school erected a fence around the outside edge of the playground an interesting phenomenon took place by those very same children. Now, with boundaries established, those same children ran to those fences to explore the outer edges of their playground. They now roamed the entire playground with greater freedom and an enhanced sense of safety.
Aren’t most adults like that in our working worlds? I suggest we are. How many of us wonder what lies beyond our comfort zones, the center of our playgrounds if you will? How many of us like to “play it safe” in the middle of our adult working worlds? What if more people knew the boundaries for their respective job responsibilities?
Many workers today don’t even know where the lines are, that if crossed, will get them in trouble, let alone where they have the freedom to act and solve problems on their own. Typically, many choose inaction when this is the case because it feels safer than taking the risk of crossing some unknown boundary.
I propose there is an important leadership lesson here for anyone leading others.
Leaders need to help individuals and teams know where the boundaries of their responsibilities and accountabilities lie. ?When we help people know what their “field of play” is, they will have a greater sense of freedom to explore the edges, take appropriate risks and venture beyond their comfort zones.
In outdoor sports, like soccer for instance, the chalk lines inform players about the boundaries of play. Those same principles are applicable in the world of work.
One of my mentors, Steve Stowell, calls this leadership responsibility “chalking the field.” He suggests leaders think of themselves, in part, as “boundary leaders” by helping people know where they are free to play. Leaders help their people see their field of play, what is in-bounds, what is out-of-bounds, and where people are “safe” to explore the edges and take appropriate risks.
Boundaries might include things like budget, time frames, quality, speed, values, and levels of appropriate risk to name a few. Like in soccer, those chalk lines might also show where the goals are located and how success is measured.
Imagine yourself coaching one of your team members on a project you plan to delegate to them. If you were them, what boundaries would you want to know about? How can you help them “see” their boundaries? Here is a visual example:
In the illustration above, you’re helping your “delagatee” see where they can take any action or make any decision in their field of play. The red triangle (perhaps the approach you might prefer) and blue square (perhaps the solution they prefer) actions would be ideal. However, the green circle action is outside of both the budget and the time constraints for that project and would need to be adjusted or eliminated from consideration.
Ideally, we should create enough space on the playing field for people to both experiment, and practice, in their area of responsibility.
Where can you be a better “boundary leader” this week?
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How will you live, love, or lead, differently, or better, this coming week?
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Sincerely,
Bryan Yager
“Expanding Your Capacity for Success”
Bonus Quotes: