Strong Leaders Do Not Lead Alone

Leadership can be deeply fulfilling. It can also be surprisingly lonely.

When you are the founder, the decision-maker, or the person others depend on, it is easy to believe that you should always appear confident. You may protect your team from uncertainty, reassure your clients, solve problems, and keep moving forward, even when you are carrying more stress than anyone realizes.

Women entrepreneurs often become especially skilled at holding everything together. We lead businesses, manage relationships, support families, mentor others, and remain alert to the needs of the people around us.

Competence and “doing it all” become part of our identity. Over time, it can become difficult to admit that we are tired, uncertain, or simply feeling alone.

I understand this challenge personally. As a leader within a large pediatric hospital, I am often responsible for helping others navigate complex and emotionally demanding situations. That experience has taught me that leadership requires steadiness, but steadiness does not mean having every answer or independently carrying all the weight. Many of the leadership lessons I have learned came from trusted colleagues who allowed me to be vulnerable, think out loud, and share my own uncertainties.

And let me be honest, some of my most important lessons have come from being willing to say, “I cannot do this alone.”

Recent research confirms that loneliness is not unusual in entrepreneurship. Umdasch and Berger (2026) reviewed 163 studies across entrepreneurship, leadership, and workplace research. They found that the nature of entrepreneurial work can make leaders particularly vulnerable to loneliness because of high workloads, uncertainty, limited resources, and perceived lack of support. They also emphasized that loneliness has meaningful consequences for both personal health and professional performance.

This is why building a trusted support system is not a luxury. It is part of responsible leadership.

Support may come from a peer who understands the pressure of running a business, a mentor who can offer perspective, a professional network where honest conversations are welcomed, or a therapist or coach who provides a confidential place to work through difficult decisions. Different relationships serve different purposes.

The goal is not to have a large circle. The goal is to have a trustworthy one.

Creating that circle also requires intention. Authentic connection rarely develops through surface level networking alone. It grows when we are willing to move beyond polished updates and share what leadership actually feels like. Sometimes that means saying, “I am not sure what the right next step is.”

Sometimes it means giving one another space to truthfully answer, “How are you really doing?”

Strong leaders do not lead alone. They build communities where support moves in both directions. They recognize that asking for help does not weaken their authority. It protects their wellbeing, strengthens their judgment, and gives others permission to lead with greater honesty. Your ability to carry responsibility is a strength. Knowing when to let someone help you carry it is a strength, too.

Reference

Umdasch, M. C., & Berger, E. S. C. (2026). Understanding entrepreneurs’ loneliness: An integrative review of loneliness in management research. Journal of Small Business Management, 64(3), 1256–1295. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2025.2544839

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The Inner Side of Entrepreneurship is a monthly article by Dr. Kari Millican, a licensed mental health professional and experienced practitioner. Each article offers an honest, thoughtful look at the emotional side of building a business, including the parts that often go unspoken.