Balancing Generosity and Boundaries: Lessons from Reb Rebele (Part Two) [Part 2]

Collaboration and generosity are essential for meaningful work, but what happens when they become too much of a good thing? Could saying yes too often be holding you back?

In part two of our conversation with Reb Rebele, we explore the hidden costs of collaboration and generosity in the workplace. Building on last week's discussion about personality dynamics, Reb shares why organizations face ‘collaborative overload’, how helpful employees often burn out first, and what individuals and teams can do to reclaim their time and energy.

Reb shares practical strategies for balancing helping others with protecting our own wellbeing, from setting boundaries to reassessing team norms around meetings and communication.

If you've ever felt overextended at work or struggled to manage the demands of collaboration, this episode offers valuable frameworks for creating more sustainable ways of working together.

Key Takeaways:

• Organizations need systematic approaches to manage collaboration, from tech tools to meeting policies.
• "Selfless" helping can actually reduce impact - maintaining healthy boundaries helps sustain meaningful contributions.
• Effective collaboration requires both individual strategies (like resource management) and organizational solutions.

About Our Guest:

Reb Rebele is a psychological scientist and advisor who teaches at the University of Melbourne and whose research on personality psychology and organizational behavior has been published in leading academic journals and outlets such as The Atlantic and Harvard Business Review. Reb’s work focuses on understanding how individuals and organizations can work together more effectively while supporting wellbeing.

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Learn more at eubd.ca/podclub.