Loneliness Limits Your Leadership
Feb 01, 2026
Have you ever felt surrounded by colleagues yet completely alone?
Were you surprised when your star performer resigned without warning, leaving you wondering what you missed?
Here’s what you missed: 86% of workers report feeling lonely at work.
You have a connection crisis that quietly pushes your best people toward the revolving exit door.
Isolation is an Epidemic
Think about how deeply disconnection infiltrates your organization:
- Your team sits in meetings together but never truly knows each other.
- Your managers check task completion but rarely check on the person completing them.
- Your culture rewards productivity while starving relationships.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former Surgeon General, wrote about this crisis. Steve Salee shared on the Work Positive Podcast that this loneliness epidemic is more than a social problem. It is a business problem that spins your revolving door faster.
Shift from Isolation to Connection
The traditional approach to leadership said, "Keep professional distance and focus on deliverables."
The R.E.T.A.I.N. framework says, "Realign your behavior to connect authentically so your best people stay."
Ryan Englin told me on the Work Positive Podcast, "People don't leave jobs, they leave people." SHRM data confirms that 57% of employees who resign cite their manager as the primary reason.
Here is the crucial insight from Gallup's Q12 engagement survey: Employees who answer "yes" to "Do I have a best friend at work?" are six times more likely to be engaged.
Engaged employees stay.
Take Off the Leadership Mask
What does authentic connection look like in practice? Chuck Cooper shared this insight on the Work Positive Podcast: "Business owners and leaders are taking that mask off, they're becoming real with their people and bringing what I call being human back into leadership."
Stop believing the lies that leaders need all the answers, that vulnerability equals weakness, or that emotional distance is professional. These lies spin the revolving door faster. When you take off the mask, trust rebuilds, relationships strengthen, and people stay.
Your R.E.T.A.I.N. Challenge
Try these three actions this week:
- Schedule a Coffee Conversation: Take one high-performing team member to coffee. Avoid talking about work. Ask what made them stay when they could have gone somewhere else.
- Remove Your Mask: In your next team meeting, share one genuine struggle you face as a leader. Watch how vulnerability invites trust.
- Connect Beyond Tasks: Ask each direct report one question about their life outside of work this week. Remember their answers for future conversations.
The Work Positive Bottom Line
The best leaders today realign their behavior to build genuine human connection rather than maintaining professional distance that breeds isolation.
Stop letting loneliness limit your leadership. Start connecting authentically so you R.E.T.A.I.N. top talent today.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, Stop the Revolving Door: How to R.E.T.A.I.N. Top Talent Today.
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