Light Up Your Business
Welcome to the Light Up Your Business podcast, where we dive deep into the strategies, stories, and insights that drive growth, change, success and innovation for small business owners.
Each episode dives into the struggles behind the scenes—from burnout and financial pressure to self-doubt and juggling personal life. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up, this podcast offers candid conversations, practical advice, and encouragement to help you stay grounded, find balance, and keep going. Because building a business shouldn’t mean losing yourself in the process.
Light Up Your Business
Mastering Workplace Boundaries: Creating a Respectful and Productive Environment
Ever wondered why setting boundaries at work can make or break your company culture? Join me, Tammy Hershberger, as I untangle the intricacies of creating a respectful and efficient workplace. Drawing from my experiences as a small business owner, I’ll walk you through the essential strategies that can transform how you manage your team and how they interact with you. From mastering the art of clear expectations to respecting personal time and space, this episode promises to be a game-changer for both employees and employers.
Imagine a workspace where interruptions are minimal, personal space is respected, and everyone feels valued and motivated. In this episode, we explore practical tips like implementing a "shut door policy" for focused work and advocating for mental and physical boundaries to ensure a safe and productive environment. We’ll also delve into the pitfalls of micromanagement and how to avoid it through effective delegation, trust, and communication. Learn how to build a thriving work environment that not only boosts morale but also enhances overall productivity.
Creating a balanced work-life dynamic is paramount, and this episode emphasizes the importance of respecting employees' personal time and boundaries. We discuss the significance of handling personal issues professionally, shutting down workplace gossip, and the necessity of recharging through time off. By promoting a drama-free culture and recognizing the value of employees' "no," we can prevent burnout and foster a supportive work environment. Tune in for invaluable insights on creating a respectful, healthy, and productive workplace where everyone can truly flourish.
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Welcome to the Light Up your Business podcast, the show where we dive deep into the world of small businesses. I'm your host, tammy Hershberger, and each episode will bring you inspiring stories, expert insights and practical tips to help your small business thrive. Whether you're an entrepreneur just starting out or a seasoned business owner, this podcast is your go-to source for success in the small business world. Let's get started to source for success in the small business world. Let's get started. Hi everyone, I am back with another episode of Light Up your Business podcast. I'm excited to say that I'm in my new podcast studio, which I'm super excited about, and today I want to talk to you guys about a balancing act, setting and respecting boundaries with your employees. So in this episode, we're going to explore the importance of establishing and maintaining boundaries in the employee-employer relationship, from defining expectations to respecting personal space and time. Join me as we navigate the delicate balance between fostering a positive work environment and respecting individual boundaries. We're going to draw from expert insights, real-life scenarios and practical strategies, and this episode will offer exceptional tips for both employees and employers to navigate boundaries with professionalism and respect. So let's talk about this.
Speaker 1:Boundaries within a business are more important than ever before today, because there's a culture of hustle. Everybody's moving, everybody's going 100 miles a minute right, and, at the end of the day, culture is what keeps your company growing. It keeps your company great, and I think it's what makes people want to be a part of your business. They want to work for someone that has great culture, want to be a part of your business. They want to work for someone that has great culture as a business or a leader within your business. It's important to remember and to establish boundaries within your company and with your employees. Otherwise, your kindness could be taken advantage of, which can lead to resentment. It's much easier to set expectations and boundaries from the very beginning rather than trying to change things midway through, and, as a leader, it's just as important to honor your employees' boundaries within the workplace. So I want to dive into that a little bit before I continue.
Speaker 1:So I know I've talked about this a little bit in the past, but me being a business owner, there's always this weird fine line of like these people work for me and they're my employees, they're my team members, they're my family, and I've heard it on both sides of the aisle. Like you don't become friends with your employees. You don't become family with your employees and I do understand that and I understand in a corporate environment or a very large company, you know that is hard to do because as the owner of something like that, you cannot talk to everybody, you can't have lunch with everybody, you can't, you know, mingle with everybody. But I would hope in those big companies that you have some kind of system where your managers, you know that are over their departments, do some kind of that, like they implement something to bring their teams together. As you all know who listened to me, you know I own multiple companies, but they're not huge companies. They're not, you know, hundreds of employees. So the barnyard I think right now currently has, let's see one, two, three, four, five, six in the back I mean I head up to eight at one time eight or nine. We've shrunk a little bit this last year just with turnover and people, you know, starting their own businesses and things that they wanted to do. So we have a smaller group and I think because of that my situation is more like most small businesses. So if you have a small business that size, you can kind of relate to me.
Speaker 1:For me it's not about keeping employees away from me as a friend and as a family member per se. I know it's kind of cliche to say that, but for me it's really about making sure that they're taken care of, making sure they're happy, and I feel like if I take good care of them, I treat them like family, meaning we have respect for each other. We, we listen to each other, we don't override each other. Now I'm the boss and if I have a decision, you know I'll listen to the feedback and sometimes they may change my decision, but most likely it's going to happen. You know I'm not just saying that your employees make the rules, um, but I do take into account what my employees have to say, especially being as small as we are.
Speaker 1:You know I don't know everything, they don't know everything, um, john doesn't know everything, and so I take into consideration because they all have different experiences, different um past, different jobs they've done. They work for different kinds of bosses some big companies, some small companies and so when I say family to me, I mean that in the respect that I'm going to watch out for them, I'm going to make sure if I see something off, I'm going to say something to them. If I see they're struggling. I'm going to say something. You know they may not participate back, but I'm sure going to try to make sure they know I see you, I care about you and I'm going to watch out for you. And the same thing goes, you know, in the work environment. I'm going to watch you at your job. I'm going to realize, like, are you getting bored? Are you struggling? Do you not like the position you're in? Are you at the point where you need to grow into something else?
Speaker 1:I just had that with my salesman. Had left and went and started his own business and I was looking at hiring another salesman. And then I we me and John kind of had a conversation with another person that works for us and he had decided that he is next. I mean, he's an excellent builder, but he had used to own his own company and he has ambitions to do more. And so I'm not going to stifle him by saying sorry, you have to be a builder, even though I still need builders, I could actually use another one right now. I'm going to move that guy into a position that he's excited about. I'm going to move him into a position that he likes. He likes sales, he enjoys the computer side. He enjoys growing the business and so to keep that employee engaged, I'm going to keep him invested in my business. I watch him light up when he gets to do this stuff and he's willing to do kind of a hybrid model where, because I'm short a builder when there's not a lot of sales happening, he jumps back in as a builder, which you know is huge for me because it saves me payroll for two people. You know I have to kind of make it work, but I really enjoy the fact that he's willing to do that and he's so excited about it and that's going to keep him long term right. So that's the kind of thing we're talking about here now.
Speaker 1:There are boundaries and we're going to talk about those. There are things you have to set in place so that you don't get overrun, that your employees that are not good employees don't take advantage of you. You know, having friends in business is hard because when they work for you sometimes they are like not my boss isn't yelling at me, my friend's yelling at me, or my friend is disappointed in me, not so much my boss, and there's kind of a weird line you get and I can say myself because I care about my people and I treat them so well. I even personally have sometimes a hard time, like you know, something's got to be discussed or corrected and there is moments where, even though I face it, it's hard because I'm like, damn, I don't want to yell at, you know, katie or whatever, whoever it is, I don't want to have to get hard on her because I really like her and she is my friend. But you know, that's where you have to be a little bit careful about that so you don't get a weird relationship going where they think they don't have to listen or they think they're going to get favor because they're your friend or because they're family or whatever it is.
Speaker 1:So today we're going to discuss more the boundary side. There's different types of boundaries within a workplace, how you can create healthy boundaries with your employees and how you can navigate when boundaries are crossed. So boundaries allow you to lead and run your business in a healthy way. So let's talk about boundaries, let's understand them. There are several different types of boundaries within the workplace. There's emotional boundaries, which are when you can communicate preferences and lead with compassion and kindness. It is being able to share how you feel while respecting others' needs as well. You know it's okay to be like. You know, emotionally Susie is struggling. You know emotionally she reacts different to feedback and remember that every person is different. So you know you have to learn to kind of be a leader and figure out what strategy, what plan is going to work for Jimmy versus Tom right, because they're different people, or Susie versus Katie. Then there's time boundaries. So you need to create those boundaries around your time by stating when you're available and when you are not, and honoring those for yourself and your employees. So this is another good example.
Speaker 1:I literally I won't say names, but I did have a conversation with some people that I know that are business owners recently and they were talking about how their training but also their person that does their ordering and things for them like a project manager is not respecting their time and they're constantly interrupting and asking questions. Now there's twofold here. One, maybe the person is not trained well enough and they're very uncomfortable, which means that the person that is their boss needs to train them more. That could be a different situation needs to train them more. That could be a different situation. But if they're just at a point where they are trained, they know what to do and they just they're scared to step out and do their job or they're not capable of doing their job and they're going to have to keep interrupting you. Well, that is going to kill your time as the boss or as the manager or whatever, and so they can't be constantly interrupting you and they have to know that there is times they can come talk to you. There is times for that.
Speaker 1:Now, like in my company, I have a shut door policy. I have a door that literally locks when you shut it and you know it's fire safe. So you can get out by just going from the inside out, but the outside can't get in. No-transcript. If a guy wants to give us a million dollar check and they don't know how to run the transaction, come find me. But other than that they, I trust my team, I've trained them well. I know that they know what they're doing and so you know if it's something that can hold, hold it it, and when my door is open, or if every day or every week there's a time to come ask me these questions, then great, we can do that. Now I understand there is times when things have to be answered If you don't have a system in place for that, then you need to figure out a system, because there is moments where things need to be answered. Sometimes, though, things can be stacked up, so that's something you have to decide with yourself and your team of how that's going to look and what that looks like as far as to implement that strategy.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about physical boundaries. So this means you establish a safe work environment that is devoid of harassment and where people have their own designated space, which is respected. Oh, I want to go back to time for a minute. Time is another thing. If you, as the boss, are constantly interrupting people while they're trying to work, and just because you think your stuff's more important, well, just remember that's a two-way street. So if your employees are getting interrupted by you all the time, you're killing their time. You're going to shorten them on their projects. They're not going to have the sales calls times they need, whatever, so keep that in mind.
Speaker 1:Back to the physical boundaries. This is something I don't mess with. So we all have our own space. We're male and female. I won't put up with sexual harassment. I won't put up with bullying. I won't put up with anything that's going to hurt someone else. Now my team. We have fun and we're mostly guys and we can joke around and that's all good and fun, um, but they very much are like family and brothers. So they, you know they do that and they know their boundaries. Now, for one second I had anyone come to me and said Joe said this and it bothers me. You can bet I will have Joe's back or the person's back that came to me and I'm going to go have a conversation with Joe and we're going to let him know. You can't do that. This is America. I am not a foo-foo me too movement person. I am.
Speaker 1:If it's a legitimate thing and it applies to what we're talking about, you know, sexual harassment, physical harassment, bullying, threatening I'm going to give you a chance to correct it and if you do not correct it you will find yourself a new job. I am not putting up with that. I'm not risking my company for you. You know there's a lot of gray area, I'm sure, in some of this, and if someone is just picky about every little detail and they whine about everything, then maybe they're not the right person for your company. But if it's a legitimate concern, you, especially as the owner or the leader need to address it ASAP so your people feel safe and they know that they're going to be protected in the environment you have put them in. If you do not do that, you should lose your company and you should not be in business.
Speaker 1:Next thing mental boundaries. Those are when you create space away from work, like providing paid time off to your employees, being able to take space when moving through challenging times. It can be important for your employees and for you as a leader. I know I've talked a ton about this, about me myself, the things that I've gone through, but just remember your employees do not need to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They need time with their life, their family, their wife, their kids. They need time to you know, find who they are like, get mental clarity on the things they're facing. Sickness comes to people and they have to deal with that. If you are a good owner and a good leader, you will notice these times and you will make sure your people take those times.
Speaker 1:That is one thing I can say about the people that work for me. When I see they're struggling, I let them know. Do you need to go home early today. Do you need time off, are you okay? You know? Do you need to take an appointment with a therapist or whatever? Let's figure it out, because I'd rather them, if they're good worker, figure that out and stick with me long-term than struggle and quit because they can't handle it.
Speaker 1:Also, I notice the people that do work for me. It seems on the surface and I, you know, know them personally when their lives are good, when their wife is happy, when their children are happy and healthy and life is good, they are going to work so good and hard for you. They're going to be the best employees you have and I admire some of my employees. They have families and they're wise and they're happy and they're good husbands and they're good men and they're good dads and and I watch their children they're so happy and you know I don't have a family and so I look at that and I admire and I envy that and I'm so thankful that I have men that work for me, that are men. They know how to lead their families, they know how to take care of their families and I have, you know, a female that works for me. She doesn't have a family yet, but she's an amazing woman and I'm proud of her and I look at her and I think, man, she's doing everything she can to be a good human being and she's caring about her family and she loves her nieces and nephews and I love having people like that work for me. I love having people like that in my life, and so that's an environment that I create to make sure I can foster their growth. Okay so then let's see Setting boundaries and establishing clear expectations.
Speaker 1:So this came from an article from masterclasscom, which is Dave Ramsey, and so this information says setting clear boundaries and expectations will help create the container for a thriving work environment. You set boundaries with your employees by one ensuring they know and understand their job description. This allows everyone to feel clear about what responsibilities they carry, as well as determine if workloads are fairly distributed. Okay so, job description. I actually was just in Minnesota recently talking to a cousin of ours and we were talking about owning businesses and the struggles, and there is things out there where people don't like when you hire someone, you don't have a hiring packet, or you don't have onboarding procedures and you don't even know what your job descriptions are, or you've never taken the time to do it, you're making a mistake because you need to know every company is different.
Speaker 1:Now, if there's a general idea of you know a project manager, office manager, whatever, but everybody has their own policies, procedures, software plans of how they do things. So you need to take time to create job descriptions for your salesman, for your office manager, for the delivery driver, for your builders, for your foremans, for your managers, whoever you have working for you. Create those job descriptions so when you hire, or if you're just already got the people and you now have to create them, you can go over with them and if there is any bleed through, or you know something that, like, joey is the cutter and he is, you know, putting away lumber and he's building sheds and he's roofing and you have a separate roofer, maybe you should not have the cutter doing the roofing, maybe that's a bleed over and you need to take that out and say no, that would be better suited for the roofer. Or if you're in the office, sometimes you know we start small and we create a position and they're doing 50 million things and then you hire another person, then you realize, like, the office manager maybe doesn't have to update the inventory of the sheds anymore, or maybe they don't need to maintain the sheet because maybe it makes more sense that the salesman do that. And so that's a great time to realize if there's things that someone else is doing that you can now give to someone else, or maybe it's more efficient for someone else to do it.
Speaker 1:Communicate it is crucial to communicate before the bad habits start and set in, because the work environment will start to feel negative and it will impact employees mental, physical and emotional well-being. So if you notice I don't know Joey is not doing his job description and he's doing things he's not supposed to be doing, or there's problems with Kimmy and Timmy I like my names. Anyway, you need to communicate with your people. I am still. That's the hill I'm going to die on, I swear.
Speaker 1:I deal with bookkeeping, I deal with a phone company, I do phones for another company, I have my own company and there is moments in all of that, with all the different companies I deal with, there is the communication sucks and I'm telling, telling you, I freaking hate when communication sucks. It doesn't work because you're not telling me what's happening with x, y and z and then b and c over here is a disaster, because they're not talking and you know, something gets ordered wrong or gets ordered twice or I don't know, a job gets missed or whatever happens, because communication is not happening. This country thrives on communication. Now there's people that are under communicators. There's people like me that are over communicators. We have to come in the middle. I can maybe not communicate as much I don't. I don't exactly know what that looks like. Maybe just try to make my sentences less long. I don't know. There's under communicators who need to like freaking talk. They need to communicate and so it's super important you let that know in your company that this needs to be happening, and if it's not happening, you address it.
Speaker 1:Number three establish a boundary around personal and professional life. To maintain healthy work relationships, it can be helpful to notice how much of your personal life you are bringing to work with you. So deciding on how much of your personal life you bring to work can help cultivate a healthy personal and professional balance. So this goes twofold as the owner, you don't want to bring in that your husband's cheating on you or you're having issues with your neighbor or whatever, because this stuff is taking up your employee's time. If you're telling them about this, you're wasting your employee's time. You're wasting your time. You're bringing drama into the workforce that you do not need. You don't want them distracted with this stuff. Also, if Timmy and Tammy are talking and they're having conflict or you know they are complaining about their spouse or what happened yesterday, again they are not wasting your company time. There's two of them doing it, so it's twice the time waste and you're bringing drama and you don't want. You want a drama-free environment so people can foster the culture that you're providing. They can foster their creativity and their mental energy on the things that you are paying them to do.
Speaker 1:If you hear people gossiping, shut it down. You don't want that in your company. You don't want people thinking that other people are gossiping about each other. It's not a good look. Get rid of it.
Speaker 1:Four time off means time off. Taking designated time off is important to disconnect from work. So you need to log off your platforms, turn off your email notifications, allow yourself space to relax and recharge, promoting a culture of work-life balance by respecting employees' time off and personal commitments. So what that means as the owner, the leader if Jojo takes the day off, I mean I would do everything I possibly can to respect that and not call them. I wouldn't be calling them asking about where's this, where's that, what's the price of that, what's that? You know I tell my, the employees that I have, like I am leaving. I trust you're going to handle it. If there's something major, call me. Otherwise I trust you to handle it and they're very, very good about that. It's very rare we get a call and you know we're okay with that. But you know your employees are not the owners. They need time with their family, they need time to take care of themselves, they need weekends off to recharge and they'll come back stronger for it. Five respecting people's no.
Speaker 1:We want an employee to be able to tell us if they don't feel comfortable doing something or if they already have too much on their plate. Communicating this is vital to prevent burnout and maintain a work-life balance. Now, if they tell you no on everything, it's probably not the person that you have or should have in the job position. But I do respect when someone says to me you know I don't know how to do that. I can still do it if you'd like, but I don't know how. Okay, then I can maybe look at finding someone else. If they're not comfortable, safety wise. I need to know that so they don't get hurt. If they feel like they're so overburdened, then I need to know that, because I'm either putting too much on their plate, I have job bleed happening right where stuff's getting overlapped into other people's. Maybe I can separate that somehow, maybe it's something I can help with to get the pressure off of them. So those are just some things to think about.
Speaker 1:Now, talking about respecting personal space, you want to avoid micromanagement and allow employees autonomy in their work. I have literally seen this I won't say names, but I know someone that for certain people they will do anything. This person tells them They'll suck it up, no matter what personal, professional, whatever. Then they come into life and they're miserable because they don't get to do what they want. They're not doing the job they want, they're not dating the person they want, whatever. And so it's like you're miserable because they have no autonomy. And then they do drugs, they do things they're not supposed to do, they fight against the system, they won't follow the business rules. I mean, there's just so much stuff that goes wrong in that and so you want to make sure you're not micromanaging them.
Speaker 1:There has been a survey done that says that 59% of employees have said that they've worked for a micromanager, which means someone that's on their butt, don't trust them, got to micromanage every little detail and instead of it's like me, I say here's this Do you know what I'm saying? Do you understand? Yes, go do it and don't come back to me until it's done. Some people will stand over them. Is it done? Did you do this right? Can I see this Like? They don't trust them, and trust will not work if you don't have it. You have to have trust with your employees or they're not going to trust you. They're not going to be happy working for you.
Speaker 1:So in this same study, it said that 68% reported a decrease in morale. You don't want the morale of your company to die, because that will kill your company. It means your people aren't happy, while 55% claimed it hurt their productivity. If they're not producing well, then you need to figure out what's happening right, and maybe it's because you're the problem. So two negative side effects can lead to a larger problem, which is then employee turnover.
Speaker 1:And I am telling you today it is harder than ever to find people that are good and that you can afford to pay with these crazy. You know McDonald's salaries, that someplace or not. Salaries pay of like 18 to $30 an hour. It's insane. I'm not even going to get into all that, because food prices go up, everything goes up, and then it doesn't really help you. But it is not an easy time to find good workers and a lot of good workers are going on their own and starting their own business, which is great. It's not great for me trying to find an employee.
Speaker 1:But you do not want to micromanage people. Trust your people or get rid of them and find the right people. Okay. So in an article by Harvard Business School online, it says that there's five ways you can avoid micromanaging. Ready for this. Number one practice delegating Figure. Avoid micromanaging. Ready for this Number one practice delegating Figure. Out who can do it and give it to them and trust them.
Speaker 1:Two set clear expectations. Tell the people what I expect. So if I expect you here at 2 pm and the job better be done by 3 pm and you're going to take the trash out while you're doing your job and your desk is going to be clean at the end of the day, well, you better frigging, believe it. When it comes 3 pm, I'm going to look at those expectations and if they miss them, I can clearly say to Jimmy Jimmy, it's three o'clock, your job's not done, the trash isn't taken out, your desk is a disaster. What happened? Right, because you set clear expectations. It's the same thing in relationships. If you say I need you to talk to me, I need you to explain the problems to me In a marriage. If I say I need you to not cheat on me and I need you to not destroy my home, whatever, then that's simple expectations and everybody understands it.
Speaker 1:Number four, which is very hard for me. Or number three sorry, let go of perfectionism. I don't know that I do that with everybody else Maybe do, but I certainly do it with myself. Remember, everybody's got their own problems, their own issues, their own things they're good at, not good at, and so expectations or perfectionism, sorry, can become a major problem in a relationship in your business. Now I'm saying it's okay to be an A player, it's okay to expect your people to do a good job, but if you're expecting perfection, you're not going to get it.
Speaker 1:Four hire the right people. I know someone right now that has hired the wrong person. Their attitude sucks, they make mistakes a lot and they're scared now to get rid of them because they feel like it's going to be worse by getting rid of them, and, of course, this is their decision to make. I have noticed in my path, in my businesses, my career, there is a saying that says slow to fire or, I'm sorry, slow to hire, quick to fire, and I will not waste my time with you If you aren't getting it. And you're not getting it within the 90-day trial I have for you, you're really not going to get it, because if you have a crappy attitude in the 90 days, when you're usually at your best, it's going to get freaking worse and I don't want to deal with it. And so, hire the right people, get them on the bus, figure the right seats out for them and then solicit feedback.
Speaker 1:Talk to your team, talk to the people. Are they getting micromanaged? Do they feel micromanaged? Is there any issues? Is there things you can change? Communication is the key. So when you avoid micromanaging your employees, it will cultivate a healthy work environment that breeds trust, an environment that employees will thrive in rather than want to leave.
Speaker 1:Okay, number I think it's number six handle sensitive topics. Employees that are going through difficult life circumstances still need to meet their work expectations. Sadly, that is still the truth. However, employees can be supportive and understanding while enforcing performance and conduct standards at work. So have one-on-one meetings with your employees going through difficult or personal difficulties and they can. They feel like you're caring about them and it can be helpful for them to let some things out. That way, you can learn how to best support them, which might look like offering them time off or communicating what's a priority to them to help them stay focused.
Speaker 1:Employees should be concerned with the stress levels of their employees. I think I just messed that up. Employers should be concerned with the stress levels of employees, as stress has a serious impact on worker productivity. Careful planning and empathy and dealing with employees whose personal problems affect their work performance are useful tools that managers should have in their toolbox. You know so Dave Ramsey has a cool thing, um, through his. I can't even think what it's called. It's not a coaching program, but it's a. It's a. It's a tool that, like you, can send out every week and your employees can answer, like you know, a smiley face, negative face, whatever, of like how they're doing, what they're experiencing, what the high was, what the low was and when I used it in our window business, I was shocked to learn some of the things people would tell me in there and I was like, oh wow, I did not think that Jimmy would tell me that.
Speaker 1:And so it's really good to have if you can do stuff like that or hand a survey out or just physically check in, whatever it is that you need to do, and then remember, provide support and resources when your employees are facing difficult circumstances. Okay, so you want to create a supportive environment so that employees feel comfortable bringing their issues concerns to you. So this goes back to the emotional boundary, where it's important to listen to their issues that they're bringing forward, listen with an openness and respect. Knowing about about your employee's feeling within the workplace, as well as their workload, can be valuable information on how you can better structure their role or how you can make changes when possible to make their job or their role better. Is it time to hire? Is it time to move something to somebody else? Is their position not fitting their personality? Is their you know mental capacity way bigger than this role in their board and you need to find a different job for them? Look at all that Now what happens when you cross boundaries.
Speaker 1:Sometimes there are situations when boundaries have been crossed. It could be intentional or it could be unintentional. What's the best strategies you ask? So glad you asked me. You want to identify the problem. So what is the nature and scope of the problem? What's Jimmy's problem? What's happening? Why is he upset? Then you want to communicate clearly. So explain the issue directly and how it is impacting you or them or their team, as well as what you can expect from them moving forward. Then you want to monitor the follow-up. So, after you address the issue, observe their actions and give feedback, acknowledge their progress and address any setbacks. It's important to celebrate the team's achievements and success to help them build positive and respectful team culture.
Speaker 1:So if Jimmy says little Timmy is causing him problems not doing job, and you talk to Timmy and he agrees to do it, you better check back in and make sure Timmy's doing it. And if he is doing it, you thank him, you let him know he's doing it and then you go back to, I think I said, tommy and you check with him and make sure he's happy and everything's kosher. If it does not, give another warning with more specifics, check in again. If it's not working. Let the guy go, let little Timmy go. Free Timmy, all right. Lead by example.
Speaker 1:Boundaries within the workplace begin with you, the leader. There's a Forbes article that discusses the four A's of leadership Alignment, accountable, authentic and aware. The moment an individual sees their leader as being off base with any of the four A's, they will stop following, stop contributing their extra energy and stop caring in general. As a leader, we must set these boundaries within our business and act in alignment with them. They say that we are the ones that demonstrate how we want to be treated by others, so it's important to model that behavior you wish for your employees.
Speaker 1:I am pretty I would actually bet on it that if I brought every employee I have in here right now even the ones that have left in the barnyard for sure and you ask them how they feel about me, I think they would tell you that I am aligned with my goals. I say what I. I walk what I say. You know I walk the line that I say. I believe in the things that I'm talking about. I'm accountable. If I mess up, I will be the first one to tell you. I'm authentic. I'm not perfect, I mess up, but I also love.
Speaker 1:With my heart on my sleeve, I care about the people that work for me and I'm very aware of what's going on. There's a saying in my group that know me well that I'm a watchman, because I'm always watching what's going on. I see stuff before other people. I know stuff that some people think I shouldn't know, but sometimes I get the leading of the Lord or whatever, and I find out things and I believe that's God watching out for me so I can watch out for my team. Let's see.
Speaker 1:So at this point, you know, think back to the things that you have seen, you've experienced, you've talked to people about, and those are the moments that remind you that like, yes, you've done it, you've talked to your team, you've had issues that work, and how was it addressed? Did you like the way it was addressed? Can you fix the way it was addressed? You know we can always learn things from the past. So in our wrap up here, I want to remember, want you to remember, that boundaries clarify what's acceptable in the workplace. They also help employees see where they fit into your business and what they can expect from you as a leader B, setting and respecting boundaries in the workplace and by exploring key principles, strategies and real-life examples, I hope you feel empowered to foster healthy, respectful and productive relationships in your professional environment. And again, thank you all for listening. Like, subscribe, share, hit the alerts button. Whatever you want to do, give me feedback.
Speaker 1:I love listening to anything I hear from you guys about what you're going through. If there's things I can address to help you, I am taking applications for interviews. If you have a business, you have a small business, you're starting a business, you closed your business. Whatever, I would love to talk to you. I want to bring you in, let's do an interview. I have a bunch of new interviews coming up starting this week, so we'll be releasing them soon and again. Hit me up if you want to be on my podcast and you have a business or a business idea or anything.
Speaker 1:I love talking to people. My email is lightupyourbusiness LLC at Gmail and you can email me through there. There's a message link to on these podcast links. You can send a message through that. Look me up, find me, share with everybody you know. And again, thank you for your time. I do appreciate all of you. You guys have a great day and remember in the world of business. Every success story begins with a passionate dream and ends with a strategic billion-dollar handshake. Stay ambitious, stay innovative and keep making those deals that reshape tomorrow. Thank you all for tuning in and until next time remember. Proverbs 3, 3 says let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. That way you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. And remember if you like what you heard today, click the follow button so you never miss an episode.
