This morning, I was driving to meet some friends for a hike when the SUV in front of me swerved into the left lane, causing the car beside it to drive into oncoming traffic to avoid being hit.

Aside from staying far, far away from that SUV, it also got me thinking. Swerving into someone else’s lane is dangerous on the road… but it can also cause havoc in the workplace.

Boundaries On the Road

Let’s call the line between driving lanes exactly what it is… a boundary. That lane is designed to keep everyone safe, secure, and on their way to their destination without the interference of tow trucks or emergency vehicles. When people stay within their boundaries, they have fewer accidents and scream less expletives out of open windows. (Just me? I guess you can take the woman out of New York, but you can’t take New York out of the woman.)

Boundaries in the Workplace

In a functional and healthy workplace culture, every team member has specific responsibilities. Depending on the job, every employee will have a specific time frame in which their deliverables are due, as they factor into a larger vision that can’t be realized until everyone has made their contribution.

Everyone “owns” their piece of the project.

What Happens When Someone Doesn’t Stay in Their Lane?

As a leader, it’s essential to know when a team member is “swerving” out of their lane. They may have the best of intentions and a selfless desire to help the team reach the finish line (or something else may be driving their behavior, which we will discuss later). However, when someone oversteps their responsibilities, they end up driving in a coworker’s lane.

Don’t be surprised if “an accident” occurs.

There are numerous dangers on this road, including:

Undermine Trust

The first thought most people will have when someone does their job for them is: “Was I not good enough to get this done?” or “What’s wrong with how I would have done it?” (Or some variation of that).

When an employee hijacks someone else’s responsibility, they are telling them they don’t trust them to do it themselves. It creates tension and makes people feel disrespected, and could lead to our next danger:

Dilute Accountability

You can “train” even the most loyal, responsible employee to slack off. If they see someone else consistently carrying their weight, they will adopt a “screw it” attitude. Even worse, when this happens, and a project goes south, finger-pointing ensues.

“Well, Mary was so intent on doing that, I just stepped aside and let her. It’s not my fault that she didn’t get it done.”

Creates Bottlenecks and Frustration

Very few people work in a vacuum where their work doesn’t rely on others or factor into a larger goal. This means that other people are counting on your “swerver” to complete their piece of the project.  If that person is delayed, half-asses it, or doesn’t do it at all (because you are busy taking over someone else’s responsibilities), the project and the team will suffer.

They Get Burned Out (and Resentful)

It’s exhausting saving the day single-handedly. All that flying around and carrying the world on their shoulders (I’m still hoping for a sarcasm font). Look, I used to be the martyr. I know how wonderful it feels to swoop in and save a project, maintain a client relationship when it could have been lost, and come out as the hero. However, when it’s done unnecessarily and steps on other people’s toes in the process, the employee becomes more of a problem than a solution.

Not only that… they end up overwhelmed, resentful of their “useless” or “lazy” coworkers (who probably aren’t), and eventually burned out.

As you can see, “swerving” can be dangerous for your team, your organization, and your health.

Is There an Underlying Issue?

If you’ve read this blog and have identified swerving in your team dynamic, or perhaps even in your own behavior, there are some possible underlying issues. As I mentioned earlier, taking over someone else’s responsibilities may be done with the best intentions… or it could be a sign of a real problem.

You might have a dud on your team.

If an employee (or you) is constantly rushing in to save the day, it might be because the day actually needs saving. If you’ve got a team member who does not complete their responsibilities on time, at all, or to the level of quality required, you may end up swooping in to get things done.

However, if this is the case… something needs to be done! The other employee may need more training, support regarding their workload, or a new home in a different role or a different company altogether.

The team may require clarification on their roles and responsibilities.

If you’ve never made it clear as to who does what and when, you may have a team full of well-meaning employees who have no fricking clue what they are responsible for doing. There may also be tasks that have recently popped up which you haven’t yet assigned to an “owner.”

Work with leadership to fully understand and outline who is responsible for what tasks.

They (or you) might be avoiding their own responsibilities.

Yeah, this one is hard to hear. I get it. But sometimes, we get up in other people’s business because we don’t want to deal with our own. (I said what I said.)

Maybe the employee doesn’t enjoy their current role. Perhaps they are overwhelmed with their own project. Or maybe they lack the necessary tools or skills required to fulfill their responsibilities. Whatever the cause, you need to address what’s really going on so your “swerver” can stop procrastinating on their own work by doing other people’s.

Stay in Your Lane

If you identify as a “swerver” there are questions you can ask yourself going forward to minimize this behavior and get to the root of the problem. If you’ve identified a swerver in your midst, you’ll want to share these questions with them.

1. Did they ask for my help?
2. Is this truly my responsibility?
3. Am I stepping in because I’m uncomfortable with how they’re handling it, or is it necessary?
4. Is this a pattern for me?
5. Is there a task of my own I’m putting off to take on their responsibility?

Be honest when you answer these questions. They will help you identify whether you have a “them issue” or a “you issue” so you can take the right steps to resolve the problem.

Conclusion

If we didn’t have lines on the road, cars would be crashing into each other every day. The same is true of our boundaries in the workplace. All responsibilities must have a clear “owner” and we need to respect one another and trust that each of our team members will do their part. If we’ve got evidence that this isn’t the case, it’s time to examine the roles and make the necessary changes.

The safety of your team depends on it!

About Sheryl Green

Sheryl Green is all about no B.S. Boundaries for better performance. She works with teams to create workplaces that run like a well-oiled machine, keep top talent happy, and crush goals—without crushing people. Her mission is to make the world a better place… one boundary at a time.  Learn more about her entertaining and illuminating programs or contact her at 702.885.4309.

Get her “How to Say No” Cheat Sheet at www.SherylGreenSpeaks.com.