It Sure Gets Lonely at the Top

Climbing up the career ladder is such a consuming goal that you may be unprepared for the emotional shock when your peer group thins out. As a business leader, you often have to maintain an authoritative distance from colleagues, reducing your outlets for advice and social support. Fear of change or increased responsibility is normal at any career phase, so acknowledging your doubts can help you overcome isolationist behavior that leads to depression and failure.

At the start of a career, you’re surrounded by superiors or mentors who all have opinions about how you should do your job. Whether or not you want their advice, you have the security of knowing that these experienced business leaders are available to nurture your career and lessen the impact of your mistakes. You may suddenly lose that sense of stability when you graduate to a major leadership position, as you now have entry- and mid-level workers looking to you for guidance. At the same time, being an authority makes you a bigger target for criticism, and you may be reluctant to seek help out of fear of showing weakness or incompetence.

When consulting firm RHR International surveyed 83 U.S. CEOs, 50 percent admitted to feeling secluded, and 61 percent believed the isolation hindered their performance. While roughly 87 percent felt prepared for the CEO role, 54 percent admitted the job requirements were different than they expected. First-time CEOs reported even higher rates of stress, loneliness and weakened performance. In another study, Corporate Executive Board reported that 50 to 70 percent of executives fail within 18 months of being promoting, regardless of whether they are hired from inside or outside the company.

Overcoming Leadership Barriers

Resistance to learning is a common factor that drives business leaders to sabotage themselves. You may approach leadership roles with a distrustful or know-it-all mentality, making you closed off to valuable suggestions from lower-level employees. However, fostering two-way communication helps you gain diverse perspectives when tackling problems and builds loyal partnerships that prevent feelings of isolation.

Obtaining a high-ranking position may put you at odds with employees who believe your interests now clash with theirs. Those suspicions only increase when you show indecisiveness, fail to prioritize or handle disputes unjustly. Weigh your role against your personality and work ethic. Surround yourself with competent colleagues who balance your weaknesses and tell you when you’re wrong, but maintain the confidence to execute timely decisions and recover from mistakes.

Much like the entry-level professional, you also need ongoing mentoring and social support throughout your career. The board of directors is often an immeasurable source of advice, as these business leaders have wide-ranging experience, are invested in your success and have motivation to provide honest, constructive feedback. You can also benefit from finding a peer group of business leaders who aren’t involved in your company, as they can empathize without having any direct stake in your professional successes or failures.

You don’t have to be perfect to succeed as a business leader, but you should take preventive measures to avoid burning out from stress and anxiety. Build a safety net of advisers and trusted confidants who can provide the emotional nourishment you need to stay focused and productively work through feelings of doubt and inadequacy.

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