The goal of this book is to answer the question: "How do we overcome executive loneliness?". That's what this book is about. Exposing executive loneliness—and bringing to the forefront an honest discussion about: The pressures of being an executive,The fact that executive loneliness is actually quite common, though typically hidden, and The five primary ways an executive can emerge stronger and better from this difficult place. Based on his own recovery experience, consultations with mental health experts, conversations with other executives who managed to recover from executive loneliness, and relevant research findings and the literature, as Nick see's it, there are five steps for either recovering from, or totally avoiding, executive loneliness. This book itself details each of these five steps: Taking StockAsking for HelpGetting HealthyNurturing Healthy RelationshipsFinding Your Purpose In the chapters dedicated to each step, Nick takes you through his own recovery journey, and provides you with deeply personal insights and perspectives—along with practical and actionable advice.

Part of being an executive is leading companies to success. As such, when an executive is experiencing extreme and prolonged stress, anxiety, isolation, and depression-what I'm calling "executive loneliness"-they often do nothing to address it for fear of appearing unsuccessful. In turn, not addressing it exacerbates the negative and difficult feelings to the point where it becomes more and more difficult for the person to function. It takes a toll on their whole life, both personal and professional. The reason I know this is that I was an executive who was trapped in serious executive loneliness for several years. Once I managed to emerge, I made it my mission to draw attention to this typically hidden issue to help the many others who are suffering in silence.I wrote this book to bring to the forefront an honest discussion about: (1) the pressures of being an executive(2) the fact that executive loneliness is actually quite common, though typically hidden(3) the five primary ways an executive can emerge stronger and better from this difficult placeExecutive loneliness is an incredibly serious condition and, in some cases, fatal, as I explain in this book. If you suspect that you, yourself, or someone you know is suffering executive loneliness, please read this book to begin the journey of emerging back into the light.

A guide to the role of solitude in good leadership, including profiles of historical and contemporary figures who have used solitude to lead with courage, creativity, and strength. Throughout history, leaders have used solitude as a matter of course. Eisenhower wrote memoranda to himself during World War II as a way to think through complex problems. Martin Luther King found moral courage while sitting alone at his kitchen table one night during the Montgomery bus boycott. Jane Goodall used her intuition in the jungles of Central Africa while learning how to approach chimps. Solitude is a state of mind, a space where you can focus on your own thoughts without distraction, with a power to bring mind and soul together in clear-eyed conviction. Like a great wave that saturates everything in its path, however, handheld devices and other media now leave us awash with the thoughts of others. We are losing solitude without even realizing it. To find solitude today, a leader must make a conscious effort. This book explains why the effort is worthwhile and how to make it. Through gripping historical accounts and firsthand interviews with a wide range of contemporary leaders, Raymond Kethledge (a federal court of appeals judge) and Michael Erwin (a West Pointer and three-tour combat veteran) show how solitude can enhance clarity, spur creativity, sustain emotional balance, and generate the moral courage necessary to overcome adversity and criticism. Anyone who leads anyone-including oneself-can benefit from solitude. With a foreword by Jim Collins (author of the bestseller Good to Great), Lead Yourself First is a rallying cry to reclaim solitude-and all the benefits, both practical and sublime, that come with it.

A pioneering neuroscientist reveals the reasons for chronic loneliness--which he defines an unrecognized syndrome--and brings it out of the shadow of its cousin, depression. 12 illustrations.

*NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB SUMMER 2021 NOMINEE* After nearly a year of social distancing and lockdown measures, it’s more clear than ever that our friendships and bonds are vital to our health and happiness. This refreshing, positive guide helps you take care of your people and form deep connections in the digital age. We are lonelier than ever. The average American hasn't made a new friend in the last five years. Research has shown that people with close friends are happier, healthier, and live longer than people who lack strong social bonds. But why—when we are seemingly more connected than ever before—can it feel so difficult to keep those bonds alive and well? Why do we spend only four percent of our time with friends? In this warm, inspiring guide, Adam "Smiley" Poswolsky proposes a new solution for the mounting pressures of modern life: focus on your friendships. Smiley offers practical habits and playful reminders on how to create meaningful connections, make new friends, and deepen relationships. He'll help you develop a healthier relationship with technology, but he'll also encourage you to prioritize real-world experiences, send snail mail, and engage in self-reflective exercises. Written in short, digestible, action-oriented sections, this book reminds us that nurturing old and new friendships is a ritual, a necessity, and one of the most worthwhile things we can do in life.

Quick Tips to Becoming a Leader You’d Want to Follow You know a strong leader when you see one, but Bob Phillips is here to show you how to step into that person’s shoes. After directing a multimillion-dollar organization and heading leadership seminars worldwide, he knows exactly what makes a leader great and what you need to do to more effectively guide others. With over 50 thoughtful and concise chapters you can read in ten minutes or less, Bob will prepare you to be a more dynamic and compassionate leader. With biblical wisdom, engaging illustrations, and motivational thoughts from world-renowned leaders from all fields, you will… uncover the qualities and habits you need to sharpen your abilities identify how you can best handle the struggles that come with authority fill your toolbox with skills and strategies taken from those with more experience Whether you’re at the beginning of your journey or nearing the summit, Leadership Success in Ten Minutes a Day is a straightforward, outcome-oriented resource that will give you the direction and encouragement you need to succeed.

Love and loneliness, in both their presence and absence, are key aspects of our lives – including our working lives. Love and Loneliness at Work offers an accessible and practical starting point for understanding the connections between emotions, individual working life and organizations, focusing on love and loneliness. The book begins with an engaging chapter-length case study that illuminates the themes discussed. Taking a psychodynamic perpective, Bonnerup and Hasselager examine love and how it influences our feelings about tasks, organizations and participation, as well as uniquely exploring pairs in working life. The book explores loneliness as an inner state of mind, as an aspect of the professional role and as a group dynamic experience, and assesses the psychological burden of feeling lonely in an organization. Bonnerup and Hasselager also provide an overview of key theoretical concepts, including the unconscious, anxiety, libido, projective processes, and the concepts of inner and outer self, providing the tools required to examine, understand and work with the emotional strength and vulnerability of an organization. This book provides unique insights into how understanding these feelings can help leaders, decision makers and employees contribute to healthier and happier workplaces. It will be an essential guide for coaches in practice and in training, as well as leaders and managers, human resources (HR) and learning and development (L&D) professionals and consultants within organizations seeking to expand their understanding of organizational dynamics. With its strong theoretical base, it will also be of interest to academics and students of coaching, coaching psychology, psychodynamic consulting, organizational psychology, leadership and management and organizational change, and to anyone seeking an insight into the emotional dynamics of working life.

"To be alone is to be different. To be different is to be alone, and to be in the interior of this fatal circle is to be lonely. To be lonely is to have failed" (Susan Schultz, 1976) Loneliness carries a significant social stigma, as lack of friendship and social ties is socially undesirable, and social perceptions of lonely people are generally unfavourable. Lonely people often have very negative self-perceptions, believing that the inability to establish social ties is due to personal inadequacies or socially undesirable attributes. This book is divided into three parts. The first part reviews loneliness in general, describing what it is and how it affects us. The second part examines loneliness throughout the life cycle, analysing how it affects us in childhood, adulthood and as we age. The final part explores the connection between loneliness and other conditions such as arthritis, eating disorders and depression. Loneliness Updated offers the latest research on how loneliness can affect us in our daily lives, and how it is expressed as we travel through life from childhood to old age. It will be a highly interesting read for scholars, students and researchers of clinical psychology, particularly those interested in further exploring the effects and consequences of loneliness. This book was originally published as a special issue of The Journal of Psychology.

The book focusses on the challenges faced in the digital age, and the increasing demands for continuous change in an inter-connected digital world. The book presents stories about how leaders have faced significant challenges and pressure, and how they have used these experiences as catalysts to transform, flourish, and develop personal resilience. The book explores the digital journey, ethical issues, teamwork, styles of leadership, agile, collaboration, trust, culture, psychological safety, self-awareness, vulnerability, conversation, positivity, emotional intelligence, creativity, inner knowing and the dark side of leadership. Drawing on the experiences of leaders in the creative, digital and technology sectors in the UK, and using their voice throughout, has resulted in proposing several internal and external strategic solutions to help the reader become more personally resilient. The book explores the impact of continuous change within a digital age, presenting the facets necessary to become a Digital Sage in an increasingly chaotic world. With a focus on creativity, innovation and mind and body awareness the leader as a Digital Sage arises to encourage resilience in a digital age. The book does not assume prior knowledge of the field of resilience and is ideal for executive education courses, and for leaders and managers seeking personal and professional transformation.

Social isolation is generally recognized as a major public health problem and is widely recognized to have detrimental consequences for people's health, including reduced mental health, increased risk of disease (e.g., hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer), mortality, and cognitive decline. It is widely recognized that social isolation is a major cause of death. Combined with the recent COVID-19 and other changes in social conditions, social isolation, and loneliness are becoming an increasing concern. Social isolation can occur regardless of gender or age, and the occurrence process and related factors warrant further investigation.