How Smart Leaders Productively and Collaboratively Define Boundaries

Read Time: 4 minutes.

Spend 5 minutes on LinkedIn these days, and you'll find someone preaching the importance of defining boundaries.

Unfortunately, 95% of the advice is, at best, misguided.
And, at worst, likely to sabotage your career.

Why?

Because we all work in teams. Even those of us lucky enough to work for ourselves depend heavily on others to succeed.

The reason the bright line boundary advice is so dangerous is because it focuses on building walls instead of bridges.

Walls keep everyone out.
Bridges let the right people in.

Many people overlook one simple fact:

The design of the bridge dictates the conditions for passage.

• Some have height or weight limits.

• Some are for foot traffic.

• Some have tolls.

Unfortunately, walls are easier to build in the short term than bridges.

And in a world where leaders must do more with less, many will choose the easier path. What they fail to appreciate is that insulating themselves results in isolating their teams. And disconnected teams are vulnerable.

So, how do we build more bridges and fewer walls without becoming further overwhelmed?  

Here's what I do.

And most teams can do it on one piece of paper.

Sit down both teams and answer these 7 questions:

1. Why do the two teams need to interact?

2. What needs to pass from Team A to Team B?

3. What criteria allow Team B to accept Team A's work?

4. Does Team B need to pass anything to Team A?

5. What criteria allow Team B to accept Team A's work?

6. How will Team A and Team B resolve exceptions?

7. Who is responsible for Team A and Team B's success?

Let's walk through them so I can highlight what's critical to align on with each question.

1. Why do the teams need to interact?

This isn't about org charts or reporting lines.
It's about value creation.

Start here:

• What customer need requires this collaboration?

• Which business outcomes depend on both teams?

• What breaks if either team doesn't deliver?

Common Mistake: Starting from current processes instead of desired outcomes.

Better Approach: Create a simple sketch of the value chain to develop mutual empathy for both teams.

2. What needs to pass from Team A to Team B?

Be specific. Really specific.
Vague hand-offs create messy results.

Define:

• Format

• Timing

• Quality standards

Think inputs, not activities.
Think key deliverables, not every detail.

Red Flag: If you can't name it, you can't manage it.

3. What criteria allow Team B to accept Team A's work?

This is where most boundaries break down.
Everyone assumes they're aligned until they're not.

Document:

• Minimum requirements

• Deal-breakers

• Edge cases

Tip: Have Team B write the criteria.
Then have Team A read it back.
The gaps will emerge quickly.

4. Does Team B need to pass anything to Team A?

Most leaders stop at one-way flow.
But great collaboration is often circular.

Consider:

• Feedback loops

• Dependencies

• Resource sharing

Warning: If you skip this, you'll miss half the friction points.

5. What criteria allow Team A to accept Team B's work?

Mirror the earlier criteria discussion.
But don't assume symmetry.

Focus on:

• Quality metrics

• Timeline requirements

• Format specifications

Key Point: Different teams often have different standards.
Make them explicit.

6. How will Team A and Team B resolve exceptions?

This is where theory gets punched in the face by reality.
Because exceptions are inevitable.
Plan for them.

Define:

• Escalation paths

• Decision rights

• Response times

Remember: The goal isn't to prevent all exceptions.
It's to handle them efficiently when they occur.

7. Who is responsible for Team A and Team B's success?

This isn't about hierarchy.
It's about accountability.

Clarify:

• Who measures success

• Who resolves deadlocks

• Who can change the rules

Critical: One person must own each team's side of the interface.
Two owners = no owner.

And in case you think this problem doesn’t apply to your team, it came up in multiple coaching calls this week.

Exec: "I'm not getting what I need from this other team."
Me: "Does the other team know what you need?"
Exec: "Yes, of course."
Me: "Good, show me."
Exec: <blinking> <pausing> "What do you mean, show you?"
Me: "If it's critical and clear, I'm sure it's written down."
Exec: "Oh. Well, I'm pretty sure they know."

Being "pretty sure" and "confident enough to be frustrated" are very different things.

And if it's not written down, and you haven't devoted time to specifically building that bridge, I'm pretty sure I know where your problem lies.

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What You Missed This Week

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Please give her a follow if you’re not already.

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Dave & Mar