Being the leader of a business is a very privileged position but it also comes with its challenges. I have had a number of conversations recently with business leaders who are feeling challenged at the moment and that’s unsurprising given the economic outlook, so let’s not ignore these pressures.

First and foremost it is normal for business leaders to occasionally lose their mojo and feel a little deflated at times. But one of the reasons that we are in privileged positions as leaders of businesses is our ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and face these challenges head-on, after all – there is a solution to every problem, we just have to find it.

In researching the subject of business leader stress and burnout I came across this enlightening paragraph in an article in CEO Today.

Congratulations, you’re a CEO! There are people who dream of having the job you do. Of course, sometimes reality can be a little less attractive. However, the great thing about being a CEO is that you’re the boss. You set the rules. You are the inspiration for others to follow. Being a boss can be challenging and, at times, it can be wrought with stress. However, by being proactive and purposeful in your decisions you can make a real difference, both in your life and the lives of those around you.

 If phrases like: “I just can’t seem to get going” or “ I feel lonely, harassed and burdened”  resonate with you then you are not actually alone, most business leaders experience these feelings at some time in their careers.

 An award-winning article in Harvard Business Review written in 1981  noted that these feelings are more likely to occur under competitive conditions than in a stable market. That’s the same today as apparently, it was in 1981. The article eloquently outlines part of the challenge: 

 The manager must cope with the least capable of the employees, with the depressed, the suspicious, the rivalrous, the self-centred, and the generally unhappy. The manager must balance these conflicting personalities and create from them a motivated work group. He or she must define group purpose and organize people around it, as well as resolve conflicts, establish priorities, make decisions about other people, accept and deflect their hostility, and deal with the frustration that arises out of that continuing interaction. 

 It can at times feel very lonely at the top and business leaders need the same support they provide to their teams.

 It is these types of challenges that we try and help business leaders with at Pabasso – Peer Advisory Board Associates by sharing knowledge, and experience and providing much-needed support.

The phrase ‘No Man is an Island’ applies equally to both sexes, no one is self-sufficient; everyone relies on others. This saying comes from a sermon by the seventeenth-century English author John Donne, it appears we needed support even earlier than 1981!

 Here is a link to the short CEO Today article, it contains some useful tips on How To Reduce Stress As A CEO And Why It’s Important.

 It may resonate with you and it may help you.