As a former Director of Internal Audit for a large corporation I can say it is somewhat lonely. I could not be personal friends with anyone at work to avoid appearing biased or protecting someone one way or the other.
That would be really hard on me Deaves. I was an Internal Auditor but absolutely not the boss. I was kind of a Lone Ranger. Some of the folks in the departments I'd audit were friends. At work it was all business but outside of work no worries. In fact I always avoided promotions that involved having other people answer to me. I guess I was never cut out to manage other people. It is a skill I do not have and doing it well was something I probably could never have achieved. Thank you for your reply and Happy Friday.
I was about to answer in a way similar to Deaves, but then I saw Pearl's answer.
My grandpa had a saying and it came out during certain exchanges. He passed away when I was a young adult, but I had made it a point to talk to him at least once a week between the time my grandma passed and he passed. Those talks were priceless, even if I didn't realize the depth of his words. He had a certain kind of peace about him and a good head on his shoulders. So, me in my 20-some-odd years of life experience, I'd complain about the issues I faced being a fast food manager, and about the demands it placed on me. "It must be hell to be important," he'd pipe up. At the time, I'd be like, "Yeah, it sucks, Grandpa. You have no idea." lol I wouldn't say he was mocking me. He wasn't. It was his own way of gently reminding me of where I was- no malice- said with pure kindness, but he wasn't agreeing that I had it harder than anyone else. He had been a traditional head of household, a manager within his company, and a leader within his church. Always in a leadership role. But, he never put himself above anyone. He may have been a leader, but he served whoever he was leading. By the time I heard his words of wisdom, he was an old man who spent most of his days alone, but when he did go out, everyone knew him and everyone loved him.
A dentist I worked for once said the loneliness of leadership was what caused so many dentists to commit suicide. They cared for their patients and everyone in the office answered to them. In solo practices, they never had any form of comradery. So, yes, there is a certain degree of loneliness at the top. You're responsible for people. You can't be their friend. And, everyone has a different opinion on what you're doing wrong and what you should do instead. I can look at that and undeniably agree that it is lonely at the top, or I can look at the way my grandpa talked and see that the top is what you make of it, or I can look at Pearl's answer- loneliness is everywhere.
I don't think I would ever need to worry about that.. I am one of life's cockroaches - always at the bottom... and content to be there.. I am a happy cockroach. I have observed the very big difference between a good boss and a bad one though.. one who leads by example and is liked and trusted and one who is a complete goit who everyone hates..
Deaves 