Isolation is a Leadership Risk. Connection is the Solution

Not long ago, a CEO confided that despite leading a capable team and having the full support of their board, they often felt like the loneliest person in the organisation. Every decision carried enormous weight, every conversation with colleagues or staff felt carefully filtered, and there was rarely a truly safe space to be completely candid. This isn’t an isolated story or a sign of individual weakness; it’s a common reality at the top of the organisational chart.

Leadership at the highest level can be immensely rewarding, but it also comes with a paradox: the more senior the role, the fewer people you can genuinely speak to about doubts, stress, or strategic uncertainty. And while many assume CEOs have endless networks to lean on, the truth is that isolation quietly grows with the role’s responsibility. Research suggests that close to half of CEOs experience feelings of isolation, and a significant number admit that it directly affects their performance and decision-making.

This matters because isolation is not just a private struggle for the leader — it has organisational consequences. Holly Ransom recently wrote that when people feel disconnected, the impact on performance is profound: “People are twice as likely to underperform, more likely to disengage, call in sick, or leave entirely.”If this rings true across the broader workforce, then the implications are even more serious when it is the key decision-maker — the Chief Executive — who feels cut off and unsupported.

The good news is that there are practical steps both boards and CEOs can take to combat isolation and strengthen leadership resilience.

For Boards: What You Can Do for Your CEO

A strong relationship between the board and CEO is one of the most powerful antidotes to executive isolation. Boards can:

• Be intentional about support
  Schedule regular, agenda-free conversations with your CEO to check in on how they are doing, beyond business metrics.
• Encourage trusted peer networks
  Give your CEO time and resources to join forums or groups of leaders from outside the organisation.
• Offer mentoring or coaching
  Facilitate access to an experienced advisor who can act as a sounding board without the complexity of internal politics.

By doing this, boards not only protect the well-being of their CEO, but they also safeguard the organisation’s performance and stability.

For CEOs: What You Can Do for Yourself

The demands of leadership will not disappear, but there are proactive steps to make it less isolating:

• Build personal reset habits
  Whether it is regular exercise, short daily reflection time or periodic ‘step-back’ days. Create space to pause, think, and recharge. Leadership clarity often comes in moments away from the noise.
• Network deliberately
  Do not wait for a connection to happen organically. Join CEO roundtables, cross-sector forums or industry associations where you can speak candidly with peers who understand the pressures you face.
• Find a mentor or coach
  Someone who has walked a similar path can provide a confidential perspective, help you see blind spots, and offer clarity during complex decisions.

What Brooker Consulting Can Do for You

At Brooker, we have seen how transformative the right connections and conversations can be for a CEO’s sense of clarity and energy. We can:

• Facilitate strategic conversations around succession, leadership transitions or navigating major organisational change.
• Connect you with a mentor who has faced similar sector or growth challenges.
• Invite you to Boardroom Breakfasts. These are curated gatherings where senior leaders share insights in a confidential, trust-based setting.

Three Ways to Gain a Fresh Perspective

When you have been in a role for years, it is easy for thinking to become fixed. Consider:

Take a ‘stay-in-role’ retreat.
Whether it be a day or a week, planning a short, reflective break from day-to-day pressures to reset priorities and return with renewed clarity might be helpful.  Many leaders have documented their regular rest cycles as being crucial to decision-making and isolation. 

Shadowing outside your sector.
Spend time with a leader in a completely different field to see how they solve problems and innovate.

Join a facilitated peer group.
Structured forums encourage deeper discussion and challenge your assumptions in a safe environment.

In Conlusion

Leadership does not have to be isolating. Breaking that cycle requires intentional effort. Boards can create the environment for connection, CEOs can prioritise their own networks and wellbeing, and at Brooker, we are here to help make those connections happen.

If you are a board member or CEO seeking to strengthen your leadership resilience, contact Brooker Consulting today to start the conversation.