Competitive Isolation

Work is often a place where individuals develop good friendships, particularly as we can spend up to or more than half of our waking hours at work. However, once we move into leadership positions, it can be inherently harder to make or keep deep human connections at work as a result of our position.

One reason for this is that leaders can become aware that some of their staff—no matter how they act—may start avoiding being with them because of their role. The nature of the boss-employee relationship can make it hard for either side to connect with the other on a purely human-to-human level. Leaders are expected to hold their staff responsible and accountable for their actions. But people can feel uncomfortable with those who hold them accountable and will withdraw themselves.

Leaders often purposely distance themselves from employees so they can appraise their performance fairly and also ensure there are no grounds for being accused of favouritism or bias by others.

Another reason for isolation can be the belief that a leader should appear strong and invincible and therefore not exhibit any vulnerability to their staff or leader peers in other organisations. Given that we are all human, and therefore have vulnerabilities and imperfections, avoidance of others is the only way that some leaders feel they can keep up the façade of invincibility.

Regardless of the reason for isolation and its validity, the outcomes can be:

• Loneliness which can lead to poorer work performance and a higher risk of burnout
• A ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality which leads to neglect of physical, emotional and social wellbeing