The Law of Boundaries in the

WorkplaceJennifer Grantham @itsmejennilee

What is a Boundary?

• bound·a·ry

• ˈbound(ə)rē

• noun

• noun: boundary; plural noun: boundaries

• a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line.

• "the eastern boundary of the wilderness"

• synonyms: border, frontier, borderline, partition; More

• a limit of a subject or sphere of activity.

• "a community without class or political boundaries"

• synonyms: dividing line, divide, division, borderline, cutoff point

The 10 Laws of Boundaries

The Laws of Boundaries are just like those of gravity. You can try to ignore them, but they

are still in action. 

The 10 Laws of Boundaries

• 1. Law of Cause & Effect

• 2. Law of Responsibility

• 3. Law of Power

• 4. Law of Respect

• 5. Law of Motivation

• 6. Law of Evaluation

• 7. Law of Proactivity

• 8. Law of Envy

• 9. Law of Activity

• 10. Law of Exposure

Law of Cause & Effect

• For every action there is a consequence

• Our actions have consequences

Law of Responsibility

• We are responsible to each other, but not for each other.

Law of Power

• We have power over some things; we don’t have power over others (including changing people).

Law of Respect

• If we wish for others to respect our boundaries, we need to respect theirs.

Law of Motivation

• We must be free to say no before we can wholeheartedly say yes.

Law of Evaluation

• We need to evaluate the pain our boundaries cause others.

Law of Proactivity

• We take action to solve problems based on our values, wants and needs.

Law of Envy

• We will never get what we want if we focus outside our boundaries onto what others have.

Law of Activity

• We need to take the initiative in setting limits rather than be passive.

Law of Exposure

• We need to communicate our boundaries to each other.

The Law of Boundaries

Can be applied to every relationship in your life.