孤立无援的CEO会搞砸公司

    “人们看一个人首先看到的是头衔，”他说。“他们来不是和弗兰克聊天，而是向老总汇报。而向老总汇报时，人们总会言不由衷。”小组讨论可以给员工一个机会，从个人的角度来和高管交流。

    就像其他人一样，老总们也需要一个安全的地方讲出心中所想。沃顿商学院教授迈克尔•乌西姆觉得其它公司的董事会就是这么个地方，老总在那里也只是个董事而已。他们也可以在工作之外寻找这样的地方。乌西姆说：“我曾经碰到过好些老总，他们都自发地组织了个人小组，”他们在小组里可以自由谈论。其实，这个想法由来已久。比尔•乔治是哈佛商学院（Harvard Business School）的管理学教授，他写过关于其“真北”哲学的书，里面讲到和同行会面，最终形成一个紧密的情感支持小组。他说，自己的小组是其职业生涯的无价之宝（比尔•乔治曾担任医疗科技公司美敦力的首席执行官——译注）。

    按照萨波里托的说法，缓解孤独感最终需要管理自身脆弱的技巧。他认为：“人们自身的脆弱是孤独侵入的途径。”老总们试图周旋于股东、员工和监管者之间，“他们使尽浑身解数，但到哪里去诉说内心的忧虑，哪里去谈论可能的选项？只有极少数的人可以倾听，”他说。这些弥足珍贵的人也许是首席董事，或者是深得信任的顾问。“他们确信那个人只会考虑什么最符合自己和公司的最高利益。”

    将公司的最高利益置于首位其实是老总们打破孤立的好方法。如果觉得自己在为超越自我的事业而奋斗，老总们就能忽视甚至享受那种孤独的感觉。坐在私人办公室里，整个世界看起来都在和你作对。现如今，如果没有坚实的事业能让人与之共鸣，这种感觉或许并不是错觉。

    "When people look at you, they look at your title first," he says. "They're not coming in to talk to Frank, they're coming in to talk to the CEO. And when they're coming in to talk to the CEO, they're not going to tell you what they really think." Focus groups are one possible method to give employees room to communicate to top executives on a personal level.

    Just like everyone else, CEOs need a safe space to say what they really think. Chief executives can find it, says Michael Useem, on the boards of other companies, where they are among true peers. They can also look outside the office. "I've run into various chief executives that consciously create personal groups," Useem says, where they can talk off the record. It's a concept that's been out there. Bill George, a professor of management at Harvard Business School has written books on his "True North" philosophy, which involves meeting with peers who, over time, form a tightknit emotional support group. He claims that his own group has been invaluable to his career.

    Mitigating loneliness all comes down to a skill that Saporito defines as managing one's own vulnerability. "That's where the loneliness comes in," he says. CEOs are trying to maneuver between stakeholders, employees, and regulators, "and while they're trying to do all that, where can they say what's on their mind or talk about their options? To precious few people," he says. Maybe a lead director or trusted advisor. "That person is someone they know whose agenda is nothing more than what's in the best interest of the CEO and the company."

    Prioritizing the best interest of the company, actually, can be a great way to break the CEO isolation bubble. CEOs who feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves can either deflect feelings of isolation or justify them. From the corner office, often, it can look like the world is against you. And these days, without a solid, relatable cause to stand behind, it just might be.