C-suite wellbeing | 5 ways to address loneliness at leadership level

Employee wellbeing has become a central focus for organisations in recent years, with growing investment in mental health support, wellbeing programmes and initiatives to protect staff. 

Yet this attention often overlooks those at the very top. Senior leaders, despite appearing outwardly confident and connected, can experience profound isolation, with few safe spaces to show vulnerability or ask for support.

Simon Phillips, leadership expert, founder of The Change Maker Group and host of The Change Show, says this hidden issue is more common than many realise. He recalls one CEO client - leading a successful tech company of more than 500 employees - who told him: "I have everyone looking to me for answers, but nowhere to go with my questions."

Phillips describes her sitting in her office, shoulders heavy with what felt like the weight of 500 families’ livelihoods. “The pain in her voice was unmistakable,” he says.