Here is an excerpt from an article written by Thomas J. Saporito for the Harvard Business Review blog. To read the complete article, check out the wealth of free resources, and sign up for a subscription to HBR email alerts, please click here.

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From extravagant compensation packages to heated boardroom clashes to dramatic exits, misbehaving chief executive officers dominated management headlines in 2011. Few people are feeling particularly sorry for CEOs right now, and that’s unlikely to change. CEOs have power, prestige, influence, and wealth — the general perception is that they have it made. So I imagine most of the general public will scoff when I say that today’s business leaders face some genuine troubles, not least of which is loneliness.

Often dismissed and rarely discussed, many CEOs are plagued by feelings of isolation once they take on the top job. Findings from our inaugural CEO Snapshot Survey™ (PDF)

reveal that half of CEOs report experiencing feelings of loneliness in their role, and of this group, 61 percent believe it hinders their performance. First-time CEOs are particularly susceptible to this isolation. Nearly 70 percent of first-time CEOs who experience loneliness report that the feelings negatively affect their performance.

These feelings are not limited to CEOs. In fact, loneliness and its repercussions can affect any individual with newfound authority. Leaders owe it to themselves — and more importantly, their organizations — to make sure this isolation does not impact their effectiveness. [Here is the first of] three steps to mitigating loneliness in positions of leadership:
1. Accept Reality
Simply acknowledging feelings of loneliness or isolation can be a relief in itself. Constantly denying these emotions in exchange for a (false) sense of self-assurance is exhausting. Leaders should take a moment each day to process and accept how complex, and even scary, their responsibilities can be. The more accepting a leader is of this reality, the easier it will be to seek and accept support in dealing with it. Moreover, CEOs cannot view this acceptance as a failure — there is a reason why they were chosen for the role, and loneliness does not translate to defeat.

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Anyone who has stepped into a new leadership role knows that the less-than-positive feelings that come with authority are often unexpected. CEOs and other leaders go to great lengths to maintain a façade of unflappable confidence — concealing any insecurities or feelings of anxiety. But this cycle creates dangerous problems for both leaders and their organizations as a whole. In today’s high-stakes business environment, leaders cannot afford to ignore doubts and anxieties that risk impacting their entire organization. Now is the time for leaders to acknowledge these feelings and work proactively to defeat them.

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To read the complete article, please click here.

Dr. Thomas J. Saporito is chairman and chief executive officer of RHR International, a global firm committed to the development of top management leadership.

To check out more blog posts by Thomas J. Saporito, please click here.

 

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