Spring has finally ‘sprung’ in England. The sun is warming the soil, sap is rising, bees are out hunting for nectar, birds are nesting, lambs frolicking. Yellow blossom brightens us all.
Across the country our hedgerows burst into life – blossom, catkins, fresh new leaves, full of birds nesting, insects and bees. Safe havens for rabbits, hedgehogs and mice. They boundary fields; create micro-climates and habitats; protect from prevailing winds; provide shelter and privacy.
And they create the unique rural landscapes that are so distinctive and special.
Boundaries matter for very many reasons.
Practical, life-giving, beautiful and life enhancing. We lose them at our peril.
Would you support someone ripping up your hedgerow? Smashing the nests of the wild birds? Spraying insecticides on the blossoms and killing the bees insects? Trapping the wildlife that lives in it?
No – of course you wouldn’t.
You’d stand up for nature and wildlife. You’d protect those natural boundaries.
Yet, how well do you appreciate, nurture and protect your own personal boundaries?
Do you say no if someone encroaches? If they demand more than they are entitled to?
Do you let anyone come along and cut down your metaphorical hedgerow?
Do you allow others to trash your micro-climate and natural habitat?
Can anyone come in and camp on, or take over, your land?
Boundaries keep us safe, happy and healthy.
As a resilience coach I often work with leaders and teams who have long stopped effectively managing their boundaries, and are suffering because of it.
At first, they may not have noticed the encroachment, and over time, many have forgotten how to say no, and now don’t realise they can.
Other’s needs and wants have usurped their own.
And they are suffering because of it.
If you realise that you need some help to restore and reassert your, or your teams, boundaries, reach out. I’d love to support you to reclaim your hedgerows, and all the richness this will restore.
#change #leadership #coaching #innovation #transformation #resilience #reflecting #boundaries