Reclaim Your Time: 5 Boundary Challenges Leaders Face (and How to Overcome Them)

Debbie Fennell on March 6, 2025

By Mary Lockhart, PhD, MS, ACC

As a leader, your time, energy, and attention are constantly in demand. You want to be accessible, supportive, and engaged—but without clear boundaries, leadership can quickly become overwhelming. Meetings fill every available moment, emails flood your inbox, and your workday extends well into your personal time. Over time, this takes a toll.

The good news? Strong boundaries don’t make you a less effective leader; they make you a better one. By setting and maintaining boundaries, you protect your ability to think strategically, make sound decisions, be an effective role model and be fully present when it matters most.

Research consistently shows that strong boundaries are not just good for your well-being – they are also good for your team, and for your organization.  A leader’s ability to implement clear boundaries can improve team morale, reduce turnover, and foster a more productive work environment.

Here are five key types of challenges all leaders face with boundaries, along with specific strategies to overcome them.

1. Time Boundaries: Stop the 24/7 Grind

One of the biggest challenges for leaders is managing their time effectively. Without clear boundaries, your calendar can become overrun with meetings, leaving little time for deep work, strategic thinking, or even a moment to breathe. 

Try this:

  • Block out dedicated “focus time” on your calendar and protect it as you would an important meeting.
  • Set clear meeting norms. You can do this by placing a limit on meeting times and ensure they have a clear agenda.
  • Build in buffer time between meetings to avoid running from one commitment to the next without reflection.

2. Work-Life Boundaries: Model What You Preach

Many leaders feel they must be “always on,” responding to emails late at night, taking calls on weekends, and sacrificing personal time for work. But when you blur the lines between work and personal life, burnout is inevitable for both you and for your team members.

Studies have shown that employees with better work-life balance are more engaged, focused, and less likely to experience burnout, leading to improved performance and reduced absenteeism. By role-modeling a healthier work-life balance, you empower everyone to thrive. 

Try this:

  • Define and communicate your work hours to your team, and stick to them.
  • If you work outside normal hours, use “schedule send” for emails to send during standard work hours to avoid setting an expectation of 24/7 availability.
  • Establish a transition ritual, such as a walk or journaling, to help shift from work mode to personal time.

3. Decision-Making Boundaries: Letting Go of Control and Empowering Your Team

Leaders often get pulled into decisions they don’t need to make, leading to decision fatigue and a lack of time for higher-level priorities. If you’re frequently solving problems your team could handle, it’s time to redefine your decision-making role and trust your team.

Try this:

  • Use the RACI model (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to clarify who owns what decisions. This designates who is Responsible for executing a task, who is Accountable for the outcome (only one person should be accountable for each task), who needs to be Consulted before a decision is made, and who needs to be Informed of the decision. Using RACI can prevent confusion and ensure clear ownership.
  • When team members bring you a problem, ask, “What do you think?” and take their suggestions seriously before offering your opinion,
  • Delegate decisions that don’t require your level of expertise and trust your team to execute.

4. Communication Boundaries: Cutting Through the Noise

Emails, texts and “quick questions” can fill your day, leaving little room for focused work. Without clear communication boundaries, you’ll spend more time reacting than leading.

Try this:

  • Set expectations for response times—just because someone asks for an immediate answer doesn’t mean they need one.
  • Establish “office hours” for non-urgent discussions to prevent constant interruptions.
  • Decline meetings that aren’t necessary, and encourage concise, focused in-person and email communication.

5. Emotional Boundaries: Supporting Without Absorbing

Great leaders care deeply about their teams. However, when you take on too much of your team’s stress, it can weigh you down. Leaders who struggle with emotional boundaries by absorbing another’s problems often experience burnout and decision paralysis.

Try this:

  • Recognize what’s within your control and what isn’t. If an issue is draining you, ask yourself, “Is this something I can control?”  If not, let it go. 
  • When a team member shares a challenge, ask yourself, “Am I here to listen, advise, or take action?” Not every problem is yours to solve (even if you really want to).
  • Support your team members while maintaining perspective—being empathetic doesn’t mean carrying their emotional burdens.

The Bottom Line: Boundaries Make You a Stronger Leader

Setting boundaries isn’t about being unavailable, it’s about being intentional. When you protect your time, energy, and focus, you show up as a more strategic, present, and effective leader. And by modeling healthy boundaries, you empower your team to do the same.

What’s one boundary you need to strengthen this week?

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts (2018) Brené Brown emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and courage in leadership, offering tools to build trust and navigate difficult conversations.

Additional Resources for Leaders:

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity (2022) Kim Scott provides a framework for leaders to communicate effectively, fostering open dialogue while maintaining professional relationships.

Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition:  When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life (2017).  Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend offer practical guidance on setting healthy limits in relationships, work, and personal life to regain control and foster emotional well-being.The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It (2021).  In this timely book, workplace well-being expert Jennifer Moss helps leaders and individuals prevent burnout and create healthier, happier, and more productive workplaces.