Loneliness at the Top: Executive Psychology and the Mental Health of Business Owners

Why is executive psychology shaped by loneliness, decision fatigue and constant vigilance? Practical advice for business owners, CEOs and senior leaders.

When a factory owner who is thinking at the same time about the salaries of hundreds of employees, customers' orders, the bank's loan and his family's future gets into bed at night, he often carries a burden he cannot tell anyone about. He cannot show his anxiety to his employees, because morale would suffer; he cannot voice all his doubts to his partners, because trust would be shaken; if he tells his family, he worries them too. This experience, known as "loneliness at the top", is one of the least discussed but most decisive aspects of executive psychology. In this article, for business owners, general managers and senior executives, I look at why people at the top end up alone, how this affects the quality of decisions and the organisation, and the steps that can be taken for sustainable leadership.

What Is Loneliness at the Top?

Loneliness at the top is the feeling of a person at the highest point of an organisation that, despite the scale of their responsibilities, they have nobody with whom they can openly share their thoughts, worries and doubts. This does not mean they have no people around them; on the contrary, senior executives are usually surrounded by people all the time. But most of these relationships are role-based: employees seek approval, managers hold expectations, customers and suppliers negotiate. The space in which the person can be themselves, and say "I don't know" or "I'm afraid", narrows.

Loneliness is not a diagnosis; it is a signal that a person's need for social connection is not being met. According to Gallup's 2026 report, 23% of employees in Turkey say they felt lonely for a large part of the previous day (Gallup, 2026; 2025 data). This figure is not specific to managers, but it shows that loneliness is a common experience in working life. For the general psychological dimensions of loneliness, you can read our article on the feeling of loneliness.

The Pressures That Shape Executive Psychology

The pressures experienced by a senior executive or business owner are qualitatively different from those of other employees:

Owning the final decision

Teams debate and present proposals, but the final decision is made at the top. Investing or waiting, downsizing or growing, keeping a manager in post or letting them go... The consequences of these decisions affect the lives of hundreds of people, and they cannot always be reversed. Constantly making high-risk decisions can, over time, lead to a kind of mental exhaustion known as "decision fatigue".

The obligation to look strong

Many leaders believe that if they show their own anxiety, the organisation will be shaken. The idea that "the boss doesn't crumble" leads to emotions being suppressed and to asking for help being seen as a weakness. Although this belief seems to provide stability in the short term, in the long term it drains the manager's own emotional resources.

Not reaching accurate information

The information that reaches the person at the top of the hierarchy is often filtered and softened. Employees and managers hesitate to bring bad news; the executive may feel that those around them tell them only what they want to hear. This increases both loneliness and mistrust.

The merging of work and identity

Especially for people who founded the company themselves or inherited it from the family, the company's success and their personal sense of worth become mixed together. When the company goes through a bad period, the person experiences it as their own failure. In family businesses this picture is even more complicated; for details, you can look at our article on conflict in family businesses.

Uncertainty specific to Turkey

Currency fluctuations, high inflation, difficulty accessing finance, changing legislation and uncertainty in export markets shorten the planning horizon of business owners in Turkey. Working constantly in "firefighting" mode leaves no room for long-term thinking or rest. According to Gallup's 2026 report, the daily stress rate in Turkey is 66%, far above the global average (40%) (Gallup, 2026). In this environment, the owner of the business is one of those carrying the largest share of the load.

Signs of Loneliness at the Top

Senior executives are often the last to notice their own struggles. The following signs may show that the load has exceeded what can be carried:

• Being unable to fall asleep at night, or waking in the early hours with thoughts about work
• The mind being unable to detach from work on holiday, at a family meal or at the weekend
• Growing mistrust towards everyone around them, a feeling that "nobody really understands"
• Declining interest in things that used to be enjoyable
• Impatience and outbursts of anger or, on the contrary, emotional numbness
• Postponing decisions or, on the contrary, making quick decisions without thinking
• Withdrawing in close relationships, spending less time with a spouse and children
• Trying to suppress tiredness, anxiety or insomnia with alcohol, overwork or other means

These signs on their own do not mean there is a psychological problem, but if they have continued for a long time, they should be taken seriously. If you are having sleep problems, our article on how to overcome insomnia may be useful.

Common Thought Patterns in Executive Psychology

The cognitive behavioural approach emphasises that it is not the events we experience but how we interpret them that determines our feelings and behaviour. From the point of view of executive psychology, some thought patterns that make the burden at the top heavier are common:

• "I must know everything and I must solve everything." This belief prevents delegation and turns every problem into a personal test.
• "If I make a mistake, everything will collapse." This pattern, known as catastrophising, makes risks look bigger than they are and can paralyse decision-making.
• "If I show weakness, I'll lose respect." This thought, which feeds suppressing emotions and not asking for help, is one of the main sources of loneliness.
• "Resting means abandoning the business." This pattern legitimises a way of working that allows no recovery at all.
• "Nobody cares as much as I do." It increases mistrust and resentment towards the team and weakens relationships.

These thoughts have often developed over years, perhaps as part of the working style that brought success; that is why they feel "right" to the person. Noticing them, questioning them and replacing them with more balanced alternatives both lightens the emotional load and makes it easier to take healthier decisions. It is possible to notice them on your own; however, carrying out this work in a structured way with a professional is usually easier.

Why Is Executive Psychology a Matter for the Organisation?

The inner world of the leader is not just a personal matter; it directly affects the health of the organisation.

• Quality of decisions: A mind under chronic stress may see risks as bigger or smaller than they are, turn to short-term solutions and close itself off to different views.
• The tone of the culture: Organisational culture is deeply affected by the emotional state of the person at the top. An anxious and angry leader spreads anxiety and anger throughout the organisation without realising it. A calm and open leader, on the other hand, helps teams stay level-headed even in difficult periods.
• Information flow: A leader who reacts harshly to bad news eventually stops receiving it. This means problems are noticed late.
• The management chain: According to Gallup, managers' engagement with their work worldwide stands at 22%, down 9 points since 2022 (Gallup, 2026). When senior management cannot carry its load, the pressure is passed on to managers at lower levels.
• Continuity: If a leader becomes exhausted or withdraws from work because of health problems, it can threaten the continuity of the organisation, especially in SMEs and family businesses that are run around one person.

An organisation's mental health programme remains incomplete wherever the person at the top cannot carry their own load.

Practical Suggestions for Senior Executives

Loneliness at the top is not an unavoidable fate. Many leaders can make this load more bearable through deliberate steps.

1. Create a safe space for thinking. The number of people within the organisation you can talk to without role pressure is limited. That is why it is important to build a circle of trusted advisers outside the organisation: other business owners in a similar position, an independent management consultant, a coach or a psychologist. The aim here is less to receive advice than to be able to express your thoughts aloud and without being judged.

2. Join peer groups. Confidential experience-sharing meetings held in chambers of industry, business associations or sector groups reduce the feeling that "I'm the only one going through this".

3. Reward bad news. Show through your behaviour that you thank those on your team who report problems early. As information flows more openly, both the quality of decisions rises and the burden of "I must notice everything" lightens.

4. Delegate and build a strong second tier. When every decision has to pass through you, it makes the organisation fragile and wears you out. Give the managers you trust real areas of decision-making.

5. Try to separate work from your identity. The company having a bad quarter does not mean you are worthless. In the cognitive behavioural approach, thoughts such as "If the company fails, I fail" are noticed and tested with more balanced appraisals. This perspective can help you stay level-headed in difficult periods.

6. Put rest in your calendar. Sleep, exercise and time spent with family are not a luxury for a leader; they are the infrastructure of decision quality. Set hours when your phone is completely off, and tell your team about it; this also sets an example for the rest of the organisation.

7. See asking for help as a strength. Many leaders see professional support as the last option. Yet regular work with a psychologist provides a structured and confidential space for thinking through difficult decisions, regulating emotional reactions and protecting personal life. The option of online sessions makes this support more accessible for executives with busy calendars who travel to different cities.

8. Prepare a back-up and continuity plan. If the answer to the question "What happens if I'm not here?" is unclear, this uncertainty runs as a constant alarm in the background of the mind. Putting in writing who will step in for critical decisions, bank and customer relationships, signing authorities and emergency procedures protects the organisation, and also allows the leader to take leave and to rest with a clear mind when ill. This plan, especially in businesses run around a single person, is one of the most concrete steps for lightening the invisible burden on the leader.

Imagine the owner of a food business that has been run for three generations in Anatolia. For the past two years he has been struggling both with rising costs and with management disagreements with his son. He tries to look strong to his employees, tells his wife "everything is fine", and cannot sleep at night. One day in a meeting, he reacts loudly over a small matter, and seeing his team's startled looks, notices his own exhaustion for the first time. The first step at this point is not to keep carrying the load alone, but to find a space where he can talk about it safely.

How Do You Get Started in Your Organisation?

The mental health of senior executives is often the forgotten link in corporate mental health programmes. The following steps can be taken at the organisational level:

Needs analysis: The workload, decision processes, sources of support and work-life balance of the board, the general manager and senior executives are assessed confidentially. The extent to which decisions at the top are concentrated in one person, and the strength of the second tier, are part of this analysis too.

Programme: Confidential individual counselling for senior executives, leadership and stress management work, training to strengthen the second tier and workshops attended by the management team together can be planned. When leaders show that they take care of their own mental health, the other programmes in the organisation are taken more seriously too. You can see how such programmes can be structured on the corporate services page.

Measurement: While protecting personal confidentiality, executives' own assessments, how the management team functions, the speed of decision processes and organisation-wide employee surveys are monitored at regular intervals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is loneliness at the top a psychological problem?

Loneliness at the top is not a diagnosis; it is a common experience that comes with a leadership position. However, when it continues for a long time, it can lay the ground for insomnia, anxiety, burnout or depressive symptoms. If these symptoms appear, it is helpful to speak with a mental health professional.

Should a boss show their anxieties to employees?

It is not necessary to share every anxiety; but describing the situation honestly, accepting uncertainty and offering a roadmap increases trust. Employees expect not a perfect leader but an honest and consistent one. Sharing emotions in depth is better suited to safe spaces outside the organisation.

Why do senior executives hesitate to seek psychological support?

The pressure to look strong, lack of time and worries about confidentiality are the most common reasons. Psychological counselling is confidential under professional ethics, and online sessions largely remove the time problem. Seeking support is not a weakness of leadership but a part of its sustainability.

When does a leader's mental health need urgent support?

Long-lasting hopelessness, insomnia or anxiety that clearly impairs functioning, an increase in alcohol or substance use and, above all, thoughts of self-harm indicate that professional support should be sought without delay. In emergencies, 112 (Turkey's emergency services) should be called; an assessment by a psychiatrist should also be requested where necessary.

• #executive psychology
• #business owner
• #leadership
• #loneliness

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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