Surprised by the Loneliness of LeadershipNo One Warned Me About ItThe old adage "lonely at the top" has more substance to it than most people imagine. Although many leaders never combat pronounced bouts of loneliness, many do. I have been one of them.And when I began talking about my loneliness with other leaders, I was amazed at how many of them wrestled with it, too.Yet, having discussed the problem with upwards of a hundred senior executives, I'm yet to find a single one who was forewarned it before they entered senior management.And I should add that, while loneliness is not isolated to the top tiers of management, it's particularly common at that level. Or so it seems from my personal experience and observations.Why is that the case? Much of it has to do with the nature of the job. When lower and middle level managers run into thorny situations, they have managers above them who can serve as a sounding boards or advisors.As we move up the management ladder, however, the number of managers above us grows steadily smaller, until at the C-Suite Level, we have only peers to draw on. Experienced peers, no doubt. But not necessarily any with proven experience in our specialized field. And if the problem we face centers on problematic relationships with other members of the C-Suite, we are genuinely on our own.I use this episode to examine the dynamics and ramifications of contending with loneliness as a leader. A transcript of the program can be downloaded at https://www.upsizeyourleadership.com/episodes.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices