What does it mean that model good boundaries?

The best way to teach boundaries is to model them. When you set and maintain healthy boundaries, you give others permission to do the same.

Example: Your team has an unspoken norm of responding to Slack messages within minutes, even at 10 PM. You start closing your laptop at 6 and not responding until morning. The first week, nothing changes. By the third week, two teammates mention they've started doing the same. You didn't lecture anyone about work-life balance. You didn't send a policy memo. You demonstrated that boundaries were possible here, and that was enough to shift what others believed they were allowed to do.

Try this: Identify one boundary you hold privately but have never made visible to others. This week, practice that boundary in a way that at least one other person can observe — leave a meeting on time, decline a request with a clear reason, close your laptop at a stated hour. After each instance, note in writing: (1) What boundary did I model? (2) Who observed it? (3) What was their reaction, if any? After five days, review your notes for patterns in how others responded to your visible boundary practice.