Six strategies to defend against spiraling negative emotions. The loneliness experienced by CEOs stems not from a lack of social connections but from the heavy burden of leadership and decision-making — especially during crises, when they look to their board, senior executives, or operational managers to steady the ship but feel they aren’t up to the task or are divided.  Research — a survey of 109 CEOs of major Canadian organizations, complemented by in-depth qualitative interviews with 46 of