Why Leaders Need Personal Space

Recently we moved and our kids got their own rooms.

My wife and I didn’t realize how much they needed their own personal space until we witnessed the effects.

We make sure they keep their door open most of the time, but this move had an unexpected benefit on their relationship.

It improved.

Now you may be saying, “That’s nice Scott, but outside of sharing about your family, where are you going with this?”

Don’t worry.

Here’s my point.

As leaders respecting personal space helps maintain healthy relationships and keeps the professional environment more positive.

There’s a lot of directions we can go here, but I’m going to only focus on two.

1. Deep Work

• If you’re working remotely I can’t emphasize how important it is to have a dedicated work space to do your best work.

• If you’re working at an office make sure to “close your door” at points to get ultra-focused.

Think of your daily duties in three categories: deep work, meetings & tasks (emails, reports, etc.)

Assuming meetings are scheduled and daily tasks are things you have to do, it’s your responsibility to carve out time and space to do deep work.

Deep work means what’s urgent and important.

Figure out when you’re the most alert/awake and schedule deep work then.

For example, my morning routine consists of working out, making my kids breakfast then doing my deep work first (before meetings and tasks normally).

Managing your energy through the day is crucial for meeting deadlines (and for a sense of accomplishment).

Boundaries

Although the above example is a bit extreme, you get the point.

Boundaries are easiest explained by saying they are hard to define until violated.

Imagine drawing a circle on the floor around you.

Once someone steps into your personal space they breach the trust.

Personal space creates boundaries for you at work.

Co-workers can become friends outside of work, but there still needs to be some boundaries established.

Creating separation between your personal and professional life may not be the popular thought, but it can do wonders for you.

I mean who doesn’t want to be respected for standing your ground on important values regardless of the reaction?

The above video is geared towards a younger crowd, but it illustrates the importance of creating personal space.

Based on my energy levels, I do my best work alone in a quiet area.

I can’t concentrate at a noisy coffee shop or when my kids are playing at home.

But other tasks such as meetings and responding to emails are directly affected by how I protect my personal space throughout the day.

While preparing for a talk or workshop, I need to get away to a quiet environment to brainstorm ideas, organize my thoughts in order and visualize how the message will flow.

You need to figure out your optimal conditions to produce your best work.

This is a topic that isn’t talked about enough at work, but the consequences are huge.

The cool part is YOU can design the rules around personal space.

The better you maintain your space, the better the results.

This is something leaders aren’t taught ahead of time, but can learn through coaching, trial and error plus observing others.

Like it or not, you give others what you have inside at the moment.

A big part of that equation is how well you protect your personal space.

So if you feel like you’re neglecting your boundaries or aren’t optimizing your day reply to this email and let’s tackle it together.

Establishing personal space is something you can control.

If athletes can “get in the zone” so can you.

God Bless,

Scott

My style of speaking is: brief, conversational and practical. Want to see it in action?👇