Like with most things, there is no generic model for CEOship's relationship with solitude and loneliness.


There are two key dimensions of CEOship: the person and the context....and both evolve over time.

We are all familiar with CEOs who are great for growth and change but are lousy with stability and consistency - and vice a versa. People bring not only their skills to a role, but also their personalities, biases, experiences and fears. Some handle solitude and loneliness well while other become depressed when alone.

Also within the one organisation, dynamics will change as will the pressures; and so will the CEO's ability to handle them. A profound left-brainer will feel comfortable managing detailed corporate issues - such as finance, logistics, manufacturing or process development. That person may, however, stress over building long term complex, creative and ambiguous futures.

A profound right-brainer will feel comfortable in abstract and creative environments but will get bored with intensive detailed work over long periods.

So it is with solitude and loneliness. Some will struggle to deal with it, while others will crave its presence which gives them "time to think".

Therefore the value of advice on how to handle a CEO's solitude and loneliness will depend on the recipient's personality and psychology and context in which the CEO finds him/her self.

Failure to deal with the issue on a personal level and dealing with it only on the role-level, will fail to provide meaningful insight.