I’m not usually a fan of military movies or TV shows, but my husband and I just binge-watched the second season of Lioness, and I’m hooked! If you’ve never seen it, Zoe Saldana (as Joe) is a CIA senior case officer in charge of the Lioness program, which trains female soldiers to infiltrate terrorist organizations.

It’s action-packed, well-written and acted, and most importantly… chock full of boundary lessons. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything for you.)

Early in the second season, Joe is tasked with training a new Lioness. Her superiors choose who she will train (a task usually left to her), and when they ask her how long she needs, she says three months.

They give her three weeks.

Now, it doesn’t take a psychic to imagine that this doesn’t turn out well. The (original) operation is a bust, and they have to switch tactics to save the day. (I promise you; I haven’t given anything away).

Joe is basically shackled by her superiors, unable to do what it is that makes her team and her leadership so special.

The question you need to ask yourself is, as a leader, are you listening to your managers and your teams and empowering them to do their jobs properly? Or are you asking for the impossible and getting angry with them when they can’t deliver?

To protect your employees from burnout and your clients from subpar service and products, it’s time to set some No-BS boundaries for your organization.

Working Within Your Team’s Means

Please know that this is not a call to settle for mediocrity. I’m not suggesting you accept the bare minimum and pat employees on the head for showing up to work and wearing pants. What I am suggesting is that there’s a fine line between motivation and dangerous expectations. It’s important to motivate your team to become the best possible versions of themselves… but not at the expense of their quality of performance or their well-being.

It’s essential to set and respect boundaries in the following areas:

Workload and Capacity

Why it matters: Your employees are not machines. If you consistently operate at or above 100% capacity, the quality of work will drop—and so will morale. Overloading people doesn’t mean you’re getting more done; it just means you’re building a burnout culture and creating resentment among the ranks.

How to work within their means:

• Get clear on what “full capacity” actually looks like.
• Regularly ask, “What do you need to take off your plate to make room for this?”
• Prioritize fewer things, done better.
• If you have more tasks than time, be the leader who protects the team—not the one who pushes harder.

Timelines and Deadlines

Why it matters: Deadlines create focus—but unrealistic deadlines create chaos. When people constantly work under pressure, quality suffers and so does job satisfaction.

How to work within their means:

• Build in breathing room. Things will take longer than expected—plan for that.
• Leave time for review, revisions, and emergencies.
• If your higher-ups pressure you to promise a faster turnaround, advocate for the time it takes to do it well, not just fast.
• Be willing to say, “We can do it by X date or do it well by Y date. Which matters more?”

 

Budgets and Resources

Why it matters: You can’t expect premium results without providing people with the tools to achieve them. If the budget doesn’t support the vision, the gap gets filled with stress, shortcuts, or unmet expectations.

How to work within their means:

• Be honest about what’s doable with the current budget.
• Get creative—but not at the expense of your people’s energy.
• If something requires additional funding or tools, either make the case for more resources or adjust the goal.
• Don’t ask your team to “just figure it out” if you haven’t equipped them properly.

 

Skills and Expertise

Why it matters: Yes, encouraging employees to step out of their comfort zones is great—but consistently asking people to do things they aren’t trained for leads to confusion, anxiety, and stick figures when you need award-winning graphic design.

How to work within their means:

• Know what each team member is good at—and where they’re still learning.
• Offer opportunities to grow, but don’t assume they’ll figure it out on their own.
• Provide training, mentorship, or time to learn.
• If something’s out of their wheelhouse entirely, consider outsourcing or shifting the ask to someone more qualified.

When you encourage your employees to set boundaries and support them in doing so, you’ll create a more positive, productive work environment.

Conclusion

If you’ve ever uttered the sentence, “Do more with less,” I beg of you to never speak those words again. Instead of pushing your team to do the impossible (and risking their livelihood and your business in the process), let’s flip the script.

Let’s do less… better.

Ready to lead without burning out your best people?
Let’s discuss how my ‘Better Boundaries, Better Teams’ workshop can help you establish a boundary-respecting, high-performing team—without compromising results.

📞 Schedule a call: https://tidycal.com/sherylgreen/30-minute-meeting