"Your Open Door Policy Isn't Your Problem—Your Boundaries Are"

I had a conversation with a client recently who works in an industry where being "on" all the time isn't just expected—it feels like a non-negotiable. Every single client they work with is making one of the largest life decisions and financial commitments they'll ever make. That kind of stakes naturally creates sky-high expectations for perfection and availability. You can understand why. But here's the problem: those sky-high expectations are unsustainable for the people delivering them. This sets professionals up for either failure or burnout. There's rarely a middle ground.

Our conversation centered on a question I hear from leaders across industries: "How do I give my best to my clients and my team, while not having it exhaust everything I have?"

That question sits at the heart of a larger paradox in modern leadership culture. We're told to maintain an "open door policy"—to be accessible, approachable, and always there for our people. We're taught that great leaders are responsive, present, and invested in their teams. Yet the very practices we've adopted to embody these qualities are driving us toward the opposite of what we intend: burnout, poor decision-making, unfocused leadership, and our worst work.

The irony is that most leaders believe they are setting boundaries. They have their open door policy in place, they're responsive to emails, they answer calls. They think they're managing it all. But here's what they're missing: an open door policy is fundamentally incompatible with intentional leadership. It makes you reactive instead of proactive, and reactivity is the first step to burnout.

The Reactivity Trap

When we operate without clear boundaries, we cede control of our time and attention to whoever reaches out loudest or most frequently. We move from one interruption to the next, our focus constantly fragmented. Our brains never fully engage with strategic work because they're perpetually on alert for the next demand. Over time, this erodes our capacity to think clearly, make sound decisions, and lead from a place of clarity rather than crisis.

The teams we're trying to support don't benefit either. When their leaders are perpetually reactive and fragmented, it creates a culture of urgency where everything feels urgent, priorities become murky, and people never quite know what they should be working on.

Two Simple Moves to Reclaim Your Leadership

The good news? You don't need to overhaul your entire leadership philosophy to start seeing results. There are two things you can start doing immediately—this week—that will shift your capacity and your performance.

(Some of you will realize you need more than tactics—you need a real transformation. If that's you, let's talk. That's what we do at SGE International.)

1. Make Your Boundaries Explicit—and Put the Onus on Others

Set up an out-of-office message on your email and voicemail that does three things: it clearly defines your working hours, it confirms that messages have been received and when they will be answered, and it provides a process for genuinely urgent matters.

This isn't about being unavailable. It's about being predictably available. People need to know when they can reach you and when they can't. More importantly, they need a clear pathway for actual emergencies.

Here's what happens when you do this: people start to self-sort. They see your message and think through their own situation. "Is this truly urgent? Can it wait until Monday?" Often, they answer this question themselves and they move forward without bothering you. Sometimes, they realize it actually is urgent, and they take the appropriate action (like picking up the phone). Either way, your boundaries are clear and respected because you've made it easy for people to understand them and honour them.

We saw this play out concretely in one organization where we implemented this practice. Within two weeks, emails and voicemails reduced by 80%. Not because people stopped communicating—but because they finally understood the working hours and knew how to escalate when needed. The volume of truly urgent matters dropped dramatically because people had to actually evaluate urgency rather than reflexively sending a message.

We live in a society where we're all far too "reachable" at any given hour. Just because we can contact people all the time doesn't mean we need to be available to them at all times. Like a car or a computer, we need to shut off and give ourselves downtime. That downtime isn't laziness—it's maintenance. It's what allows you to come back refreshed, stronger, and ready to lead.

2. Set Timers—And Reclaim Your Agency

This one's deceptively simple, but it's transformative. Set two alarms: one for two hours before the end of your work day, and one for the actual end of your day.

Here's what happens. The first alarm is your heads-up. It tells you that you have two hours left to prioritize and finish what matters. It forces you to be intentional about what you're trying to accomplish before you stop. You can't drift—you have to focus.

Then, when the second alarm goes off, something crucial happens: you have a choice. You can close up shop and head home. Or you can choose to keep working. Either way, the decision is yours.

That shift is everything. Instead of being a victim of time—watching the hours slip away, never knowing when you're actually "done"—you're in control. You consciously choose what happens next. There's sanity and comfort in that choice, whether you take it or not.

And here's the neurological piece: when you set these boundaries, your brain learns that work has a defined endpoint. It knows it will get to rest. Without this signal, your brain stays in "work mode" all evening, all weekend. You might not be actively working, but you're never fully disengaging either. That chronic partial engagement is exhausting and erodes your capacity to perform.

When you honor these timers, your brain shifts gears. It knows the difference between "on" and "off." And paradoxically, you'll be sharper and more effective during your work hours because your brain isn't trying to simultaneously be "always on."

The Leadership Paradox Resolved

Here's what leaders often miss: being available doesn't mean being available all the time. Being approachable doesn't mean being reactive to every request. The leaders who deliver optimal performance, who make the best decisions, who inspire their teams most—they're the ones who are intentionally present when they're present and genuinely absent when they're off.

Your people don't need a leader who's fragmented across 16 waking hours. They need a leader who shows up with full cognitive capacity during defined times, makes clear decisions, provides real direction, and then genuinely disengages so they can come back refreshed and ready.

Setting boundaries isn't selfish. It's the most generous thing you can do for your team—because it ensures they get your best work, not your leftover attention.

Start with these two moves this week. Define your hours, create a process for emergencies, and set a timer. Notice what happens to your focus, your decision-making, and your ability to lead with intention.

Your brain will thank you. So will your team.

Don't just read this. Act on it.

Want a list of an additional 10 quick boundary-setting tactics you can implement to further manage your time and sanity? Sign up through the button below and you’ll gain access to our Boundary Blueprint —practical strategies you can start using right now.

Your best leadership is on the other side of this decision.