Boundaries in leadership roles – Emerging nurse leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

As I spoke to new managers this week, I was reminded again how important leadership boundaries are today. So many leaders feel under a lot of pressure to be everything for staff, but leadership roles are untenable without boundaries. Recruiting and retaining nurse managers is a critical challenge. We have new generations of nurses who are interested in their well-being. Unsurprisingly, many have said that leadership roles do not provide the balance they need and want in their lives. Many nurse leaders do not provide role models for wellness. They are exhausted and burned out. Expectations are high and the workload can be crushing.

Nurse leaders on the front lines struggle with setting boundaries between work and home life, especially those who are new to their roles. The problem has become even more challenging over the past four years. Many leaders have seen their reach grow because their staff is less experienced and needs more coaching. New managers often want staff to visibly see that they are supporting them and tend to work long hours, also becoming involved in direct care activities. Emails and text messages from employees 24/7 are no longer that unusual.

Unlike a staff nurse, where you work a fixed shift, nurse managers must set boundaries for their work and decide when to leave at the end of the day. Failure to do this can quickly lead to burnout. Sometimes leaders reach a point where they feel the only way to regain control is to leave the position.

Setting boundaries in our work can help us take control of our lives. Making decisions about where to invest our time and work hours and what to delegate helps us conserve our physical and emotional energy and identify our boundaries. Below are four crucial steps in setting your boundaries:

1. Identify your limits– we are often our worst enemies when it comes to work. You may have trouble saying no. Getting clear about your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual limitations is an essential first step. By recognizing our limits, we know when we are crossing boundaries and falling into destructive patterns. Constraints are very individual and can vary significantly between leaders.
2. Pay attention to your feelings – gauge feelings whether we have gone into overdrive with our work. Pay close attention if you feel discomfort, resentment, or guilt about your work. These feelings can be a signal that there may be a boundary problem. If you think about these feelings repeatedly, it’s time to restructure your boundaries.
3. Allow yourself to set boundaries – Nursing leaders often believe they need to be able to deal with challenging work situations and time pressure. Sometimes their direct supervisor sees the leader working long hours and says nothing. Leader boundaries are something you have the right to set. If you don’t set boundaries, you will feel exhausted, overloaded, and angry at best. When these doubts arise, reaffirm that you have this right, allow yourself to do it, and work to keep it. Schedule a time to leave work each day and stick to it, except in cases of extreme emergencies. Be clear with staff about boundaries regarding text messages and emails in the evenings and on weekends.
4. Think about your environment – The context of the work environment plays a crucial role in how comfortable leaders feel with setting boundaries. Your environment can support boundary setting – making it easier for you – or create barriers to boundary setting – making it more challenging. Nurse leaders play a critical role in making it okay for their leaders to set boundaries. The best way to do this is through role modeling by not sending emails or asking for updates on the weekend.

A discussion about work boundaries is essential if you have nurse managers who report to you or are part of a nurse manager practice council. Many managers tell me that they struggle with this issue and need coaching. One CNO colleague makes quick rounds around her hospital every evening at 4:30 to send managers home. She tells me she doesn’t take no for an answer and reminds her leaders that the work will be there in the morning.

Self-care is critical, especially in our current environment. So as we start a new year, take a look at your work and life and make sure you have balance and boundaries. No one can do this for you.