Mary is the CEO of Shores Communications, a communication expert and an author who helps clients create connections and increase revenue.
I rarely see this talked about, but it needs to be said: Being a leader can be an isolating experience in any career, especially when you’re an entrepreneur or CEO. Harvard Business Review actually published a survey in 2012 that showed half of CEOs feel lonely in their positions.
Many of us want human connection. The problem is, we focus so much on work that sometimes seeking connection becomes our lowest priority. Some may also tend to keep connections to their own teams at a minimum. I’ve talked to other CEOs about this, and they all have a similar complaint: Others just can’t relate to CEOs. We have our own subset of stressors that we worry about and feel no one else can understand.
I’ve worked on my own struggles with alienation during my years as a CEO, and I’ve learned the universal lesson that we…