good fences make good neighbors greg bustin executive leadership blog

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors…and Employees

  1. April 28th, 2015  | 

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Published in Accountability

In his poem, “Mending Wall” four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Frost paints a word picture of two neighbors who meet during “spring mending-time” to restack rocks on the stone wall that separates their property.

The poem includes the well-known line, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Now’s a worthwhile time to take a fresh look at the boundaries you’ve established for team and individual performance.

In my book Accountability, I describe The Seven Pillars of Accountability that must be in place to build and sustain a culture of high performance. Accountability is a mindset, and a crucial component is the idea that “Clarity creates confidence.”

The wall Frost describes provides clarity about each person’s property.

Setting clear boundaries for objectives, strategies and behavior will improve organizational performance. Being clear about each person’s role in helping the organization achieve its objectives will improve individual performance.

Boundaries don’t fence us in. They give us the freedom to focus on being our best.

About the Author: Greg Bustin advises some of the world’s most admired companies and leaders, and he’s dedicated a career to working with CEOs and the leadership teams of hundreds of companies in a range of industries. He’s facilitated more than 250 strategic planning sessions, he’s delivered more than 700 keynotes and workshops on every continent except Antarctica, and he coaches leaders who are inspired to take their career to the next level. His fourth leadership book— Accountability: The Key to Driving a High-Performance Culture (McGraw-Hill) —is a Soundview Executive Best Business Book.

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