The expression “It’s lonely at the top” is well known and chances are you’ve heard it before if you’re a founder, entrepreneur or a leader of an established business.
Running your own business can be an isolating experience for a myriad of reasons, but studies surrounding burnout and work-related psychological stress tend to focus on employees rather than leaders.
What no one tells you about being a business leader is that the lack of research and a lack of conversation often means there isn't a tremendous amount of support available.
You may feel like you’re a one-man band.
There's no way around it. Founders in the early stages of their journey must dedicate a large amount of their time and labour to make their business succeed, and the pressure can be immense resting on your shoulders alone.
Being solely responsible for the decision-making, revenue, and well-being of your team can be a heavy burden, and the outlets available to CEOs are limited. Having a healthy relationship with your work isn't only crucial to your success; with SMEs making up 99.9% of the UK's business population, it's critical to the success of the economy too.
You are the key to success.
Success in the entrepreneurial landscape requires a degree of dedication that is unlike any other job. Founders will be all too familiar with working long into the night and finding holidays in scarce supply.
Harvard Business Review identified two types of passion prevalent among founders:
'Harmonious Passion': Founders can balance their jobs with other things in their lives and, as a result, experience "high levels of concentration, attention, and absorption during their work."
'Obsessive': Founders feel that they cannot "live without their work and feel a strong urge to work in their companies 24/7." Concerns around social acceptance and money were higher in this group, and they found that they harboured more guilt surrounding the responsibilities they were neglecting, like their families and friends.
You Can Feel Misunderstood
With the responsibility and dedication demanded from your business, it can feel like those who aren't doing the same don't understand. Working yourself to the bone, doing long hours and having a strong vision can seem alien to the non-entrepreneurs in your life.
Even within a growing team, many leaders feel as though a confidant or band of colleagues is less attainable than when working for someone else. Leaders often feel they cannot let loose, vent, or share worries with the wider team for fear of looking out of control or causing employees to fear the company's future.
Finding Your Network
So, what can business leaders do to ensure they have a strong support network of people who understand their struggles?
Research tells us that maintaining stable and strong relationships gives us a sense of belonging. Founders and entrepreneurs are no different. The pleasure gained from preserving our relationships will make us feel more motivated and happier in our business, and happiness equals success.
To help you in your battle with occupational loneliness, find fellow SME owners and CEOs who understand what you're going through. You could do this through local networking groups and events, finding a mentor, choosing a workspace surrounded by like-minded leaders or joining an accelerator or programme. Not only does joining these sorts of initiatives help you find your tribe, but they can also help you be accountable when setting targets and provide support on balancing workloads.
At Plus X Innovation, by uniting diverse skills, technologies and experiences, creativity happens. We offer wrap-around support to accelerate innovation in your business and create communities with collaboration in mind to tackle isolation.
Setting up a base in a space designed for business and collaboration like Plus X Innovation will help you feel more supported on your journey. By working closely with other business leaders, inspirational innovators and freelancers to collaborate with, you can quickly build a network that understands your experiences and challenges.
Our innovation hubs offer events and networking opportunities curated explicitly for business owners to improve their business and connect with other people who understand the grind. Our programmes can connect you with experts and fellow business leaders who will provide expert advice and comradeship along the way.
It's normal to feel lonely as a leader, but that doesn't mean you have to be isolated. Take action to combat your loneliness and make connections with like-minded leaders.
Book a tour in your local Plus X Innovation hub, and we can show you that community is closer than you think.
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