Sep 23, 2026 · 44 min · 11 segments
For people who've spent decades succeeding at work, life comes with a scoreboard. There are goals to hit, problems to solve, and clear ways to know when you're succeeding. Then comes a stage of…
Brent BeamGuestMichael KayHostI had a conversation several months ago with a researcher, an academic who also does work with high level executives.
And he made the comment how, you know, the CEO is like the loneliest person on the planet.
And, you know, it's like you think about that, like people who have reached the pinnacle of their careers, whether they're, you know, the top doctor, the top attorney, whatever, the CEO, that these people who are not in that space or go, oh, these people have the life, you know, they've made it there in the best place possible.
My practice focuses primarily, almost exclusively on executive men, kind of high-level, C-level, high top performers, C-level executives.
Yeah, I mean, I think the affluence and the ability to get things and do things is very in people.
And often the CEOs that I work with are among the brightest, most capable problem solvers that you'd ever meet.
What I've observed that CEOs, they don't have the benefit that the rest of us do of getting Impartial feedback.
Anyone in that level, most people at that level are going to interact with folks who have some reason to seek favor, whether it's getting an attaboy, just a good vibe from the CEO, strategizing to some mutually beneficial financial gain.
Who wants to tell the CEO that they can improve? It's difficult for men at a top level of leadership to relax and, how do I want to say this, to receive any kind of objective or any kind of critical feedback when so many people count on them.
I mean, this isn't just in the workplace, but they're often very strong leaders in their families or in their communities.
These are men who carry a lot of responsibility and are seen as being extremely capable.
I had a conversation several months ago with a researcher, an academic who also does work with high level executives.
And he made the comment how, you know, the CEO is like the loneliest person on the planet.
And, you know, it's like you think about that, like people who have reached the pinnacle of their careers, whether they're, you know, the top doctor, the top attorney, whatever, the CEO, that these people who are not in that space or go, oh, these people have the life, you know, they've made it there in the best place possible.
My practice focuses primarily, almost exclusively on executive men, kind of high-level, C-level, high top performers, C-level executives.
Yeah, I mean, I think the affluence and the ability to get things and do things is very in people.
And often the CEOs that I work with are among the brightest, most capable problem solvers that you'd ever meet.
What I've observed that CEOs, they don't have the benefit that the rest of us do of getting Impartial feedback.
Anyone in that level, most people at that level are going to interact with folks who have some reason to seek favor, whether it's getting an attaboy, just a good vibe from the CEO, strategizing to some mutually beneficial financial gain.
Who wants to tell the CEO that they can improve? It's difficult for men at a top level of leadership to relax and, how do I want to say this, to receive any kind of objective or any kind of critical feedback when so many people count on them.
I mean, this isn't just in the workplace, but they're often very strong leaders in their families or in their communities.
These are men who carry a lot of responsibility and are seen as being extremely capable.
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