Shawnee Love   •  
December 14, 2010

You work your whole entire career to finally make it to the top, but I bet no one ever told you how lonely it can be.

You are human and have fears, bad days, setbacks and stresses, but when you are at the top of the company food chain, you rarely want to share these with the people around you.

• You don’t want to bring anyone else down,
• The issues you are agonizing over are big and often tied to the future of the company, so you don’t want to create hysteria if your employees find out you are sweating about making payroll or the viability of your main revenue generator.
• You also don’t want to open yourself up and have your people think less of you or take advantage of a momentary weakness.

It is lonely at the top, but here’s a solution that works:

Find people you can safely talk to.

• Trusted family and friends might be able to offer some perspective and support.
• Reach out to colleagues in similar positions at other (non-competing) organizations. Not only do you get to commiserate, but you would be amazed how valuable it is to simply know someone else has been through it.
• Find (or hire) an Executive Coach, who can help you keep on track (I know some good ones!).
• Cultivate a sounding board, someone who will hear you out, not judge, and make constructive suggestions where possible.

How do you handle the stress of being the big cheese?