Being part of the C-Suite is a dream for many aspiring executives. Yet, as the Harvard Business Review so elegantly noted in their article titled: The Myth of the Top Management Team: “The Team at the Top is a badly misused term that obscures both what teams can accomplish and what makes them work.”[i]
Quite simply, what it takes to be an effective executive, differs from the discipline of engaging in team performance.
This significant variance is obvious when you think about it. It takes a competitive, and often cut-throat approach to be the one person who makes it into the Executive position. Although teamwork may play a role along the way, there must be a stronger focus on the ‘me’ rather than on ‘we’ to get to the top.
The result is that many Executives assume how they will feel when they achieve their desired status and the position. Yet, it is an isolated place to be. And when the euphoria of being at the top starts to dissipate, the loneliness of being separate from both your department and your colleagues may start to wear you down.
The solution is quite reasonable:
- Keep yourself respected and maintain your professional decorum;
- Trust and interact with those with whom you resonate; and
- Get yourself a Business Coach who will not only be your sounding board and help to sustain or improve your career. This individual will work with you to reduce the seclusion that makes your dreams less bright.
Being successful does not equate to being lonely, it means that you need to find like-minded people to whom you can add value to and gain value from.
This, with the help of a Business Coach, will result in a reciprocal relationship of belonging.
With one click, you can reduce the loneliness that is so commonly experienced at an Executive Level: SA Business Coaches: Coaching Services
[i] The Myth of the Top Management Team Downloaded 17/04/2021