Why being a CEO is so lonely (and how to fix that)

The top job comes with perks, but friendship isn’t one of them

Episode 99 of the Working It podcast, hosted by Financial Times, titled "Why being a CEO is so lonely (and how to fix that)" was published on January 21, 2025 and runs 15 minutes.

January 21, 2025 ·15m · Working It

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Summary

Running a business is rewarding in plenty of ways – not least in terms of salary. But it can also be extremely lonely. Having friends at work becomes complicated (or even impossible), and you can’t be sure if people like you, or if they’re just saying what they think you want to hear. If you’re the boss, how can you learn to live with those downsides? To find out, Isabel Berwick speaks to Allan Barton (former MD of the waste disposal firm Shanks), and Tiffany Gaskell, co-CEO at the coaching consultancy Performance Consultants International.Subscribe to the Working It Newsletter here.Want more? Free links:Lonely bosses seek opportunity in a crisis of disconnectionIt feels lonelier at the top with everyone working from homeRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Description

Running a business is rewarding in plenty of ways – not least in terms of salary. But it can also be extremely lonely. Having friends at work becomes complicated (or even impossible), and you can’t be sure if people like you, or if they’re just saying what they think you want to hear. If you’re the boss, how can you learn to live with those downsides? To find out, Isabel Berwick speaks to Allan Barton (former MD of the waste disposal firm Shanks), and Tiffany Gaskell, co-CEO at the coaching consultancy Performance Consultants International.

Subscribe to the Working It Newsletter here.

Want more? Free links:

Lonely bosses seek opportunity in a crisis of disconnection

It feels lonelier at the top with everyone working from home

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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