This article was written by Rosanna Berardi, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization member in Western New York. Berardi is the founder and managing partner of Berardi Immigration Law, an award-winning firm that provides legal assistance for individual and corporate clients seeking work permits, green cards, and U.S. citizenship. Below, Berardi shares how leaders can set smart boundaries without losing trust.
It’s 9:47 p.m. on a Tuesday. You’re on your couch, half-watching a show you’ve been “watching” for three weeks, when your phone buzzes. It’s not an emergency. Just an email that could wait until morning. You answer it because you’re responsive, a good leader, and you care.
Here’s what’s happening: You’re training everyone around you that you have no boundaries. The scariest part? You’re doing it with a smile.
Over-availability isn’t a virtue. It’s a slow leak.
Society has built an entire mythology around accessibility. Be reachable and be responsive.
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For a while, it feels like strength. However, after years of running my own firm, I can tell you that constant availability isn’t leadership. It’s a slow, quiet erosion of your authority, your energy, and your team’s ability to think for themselves.
When you’re always available, people stop solving problems. Why would they? You’re right there. You become the path of least resistance, and your team’s problem-solving muscles atrophy. You didn’t mean to create learned helplessness. Yet, here you are.
The real cost isn’t just your evenings and weekends. It’s the slow death of strategic thinking.
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