Creating Boundaries to Get Ahead

by Amy Jen Su

We often assume that saying “no” will close doors to career opportunities. But staying focused on your purpose - and not allowing distractions to slow your momentum - can actually help you get ahead at work. You just need to learn where to invest your energies and how to set boundaries.

Leadership expert and executive coach Amy Jen Su believes creating boundaries can not only be beneficial to your career but can make you a better leader. In this interview, she shows you how to find your purpose and stick to it - giving techniques to safeguard against diversions and interruptions that might take you away from your goals. Whether you’re focusing on projects you’re leading or on building your career, Su demonstrates that setting boundaries helps you prioritize, keeps you energized, and sets you up for success.

Key



Why you need to understand your own strengths and constraints when deciding what to work on How to communicate your priorities and establish guardrails to ensure your time and energy goes toward the things that matter most How to set work/home boundaries by designating work hours and zones How to handle boundary-setting with coworkers with grace Amy Jen Su is the cofounder of Paravis Partners, an executive coaching and leadership development firm. She is the author of The Leader You Want to Five Essential Principles to Bringing Out Your Best Self - Every Day and the coauthor of Own the Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence. She holds a BA in psychology from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Audible Audio

Published September 16, 2021

About the author

For almost two decades, Amy Jen Su has worked with CEOs, executives, and rising stars in organizations to sustain and scale their best as they lead organizational growth and transformation. She is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Paravis Partners, a premier executive coaching and leadership development firm.

Amy is the author of  The Leader You Want to Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self - Every Day (Harvard Business Review Press 2019) which draws on her extensive experience serving industries such as biotechnology, private equity, financial services, software, consumer, and media. She is also co-author of the Washington Post bestseller Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence (Harvard Business Review Press 2013), and is a frequent contributor on HBR.org.

Amy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in psychology from Stanford University, graduating from both with honors and distinctions.