22
Defend Your Boundaries
Once you have set your boundaries, vigorously and consistently defend them. Once you start allowing exceptions, you remove the predictability from acceptable behaviors, and people will be left wondering what is appropriate.
Assignment
Think through some ways to defend boundaries without attacking others.
If you have a boundary established about the use of four-letter words in conversation at work, stick with it. If you let others use that kind of language around you, you let them violate your boundaries on that behavior, and you make them wonder when it is and is not appropriate. You remove the predictability from the situation, making everyone uncomfortable.
You don’t have to attack anyone who might be behaving inappropriately. ...

Get 151 Quick Ideas to Improve Your People Skills now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.