How to feel less lonely in leadership positions

It’s common to feel lonely within leadership or executive roles, so it’s paramount to remind yourself you’re not alone. 

An RHR International survey showed that half of the CEOs asked, experience feeling lonely within their careers, and 61% of these CEOs believe that this feeling can impact their performance at work. On top of this, a study published in the Journal of Leadership and Organisation Studies in 2018 proved that senior managers are lonelier both inside and outside of work due to the demands on their jobs. Being a CEO can mean you have no true peers within the workplace because of your senior level. 

While it can be lonely, here are four ways executives can follow to make it feel less lonely at the top.

Coaching 

Coaching is a great way to train your mind to work in a certain way. We recommend executive coaching and mindset coaching. By working with an experienced executive coach, you will learn to push yourself while having a mentor above you. This is something that many leaders can’t experience at work due to being at the top of the professional ladder within a business. 

Mindset is massively important when it comes to leadership; people with a fixed mindset believe their skills have limits and people with a growth mindset believe that they can learn and expand their skills. A mindset coach will help you develop this mindset, and lead as a better example to your team while focusing on the positives and gratitudes of your position.

Mastermind Groups

Some of the greatest minds in history rarely felt lonely as they reached the top and climbed higher because they looked for peers to challenge them and hold them accountable. This is called a mastermind group. Peers are key to success within these groups because executives open up and discuss goals and problems, they can become aware that these are common thoughts and feelings, and better yet, find solutions from others. It’s hard to feel lonely when you’re surrounded by inspiring and aspirational people.

A Great Leadership Team

Although half of the executives reported feeling lonely, there’s the other half that doesn’t and those people, most likely, have a great leadership team.

Leaders should take time and care when forming their executive team, as they need to ensure they can be transparent and communicate honestly with them. A strong executive team is more than just employees, but a team that can make important decisions, inspire each other and works through critique and feedback. This will make the top far more interactive and less lonely.

Get a Hobby

Leaders that actively seek excellence at work may also find value in seeking it outside of work. A good hobby or group activity can help reduce stress and increase connection with other people, whether they are fellow executives or not. A sports hobby or creative hobby allows for some release of emotions too which can be essential for a clear mind at work.

The key part of eliminating loneliness as a leader is to find your community and talk to people who can relate and understand your struggles through first-hand experience.