‘Of what’ you may ask? It is easy to recognise when we have had enough cake as the body either refuses any more, or physically rejects the overdose, the boundary has been crossed!
In the organisational context it seems that ‘enough’ is a harder thing to recognise. There never seems to be enough profit or turnover and there is always room for further efficiency. So what happens at a personal level? When have I worked ‘enough’ hours, when do I judge enough commitment has been made? Such decisions are often driven by our own values and standards. It is only when we hit a boundary that we can define where is enough.
Managers often hear the retort that something cannot be done and then suddenly find it has been done. While they congratulate themselves on their excellent and assertive management style, staff can become more and more disillusioned yet fail to acknowledge their own part in the continuation of this practice. It is a rush job so I will stay til 7, there is a crisis, I cannot leave before 8, where does this stop? There will always be times of difficulty when more is required, but when this becomes routine we need to remember that we set our own boundary, and need to consider where that boundary is for each of us. Because until we set that boundary, the continued drive for profit and efficiency is likely to keep pushing to define where the boundary is. If targets keep getting hit, the boundary cannot have been reached yet.
How can you recognise where is enough for you?
Where do you need to set boundaries?
How can you best communicate where your boundaries are?
‘Of what’ you may ask? It is easy to recognise when we have had enough cake as the body either refuses any more, or physically rejects the overdose, the boundary has been crossed!
In the organisational context it seems that ‘enough’ is a harder thing to recognise. There never seems to be enough profit or turnover and there is always room for further efficiency. So what happens at a personal level? When have I worked ‘enough’ hours, when do I judge enough commitment has been made? Such decisions are often driven by our own values and standards. It is only when we hit a boundary that we can define where is enough.
Managers often hear the retort that something cannot be done and then suddenly find it has been done. While they congratulate themselves on their excellent and assertive management style, staff can become more and more disillusioned yet fail to acknowledge their own part in the continuation of this practice. It is a rush job so I will stay til 7, there is a crisis, I cannot leave before 8, where does this stop? There will always be times of difficulty when more is required, but when this becomes routine we need to remember that we set our own boundary, and need to consider where that boundary is for each of us. Because until we set that boundary, the continued drive for profit and efficiency is likely to keep pushing to define where the boundary is. If targets keep getting hit, the boundary cannot have been reached yet.
How can you recognise where is enough for you?
Where do you need to set boundaries?
How can you best communicate where your boundaries are?
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