It can be lonely — or unbearably stressful — at the top. Many CEOs, especially new ones, are tormented by the feeling of "imposter syndrome," in which they worry that, in the face of all of their responsibilities, they don't really know what they are doing and soon everyone else will find out, according to Fortune.
CEOs feel this sense of dread more acutely in startup companies, where they are trying to create new business models while many of them are holding managerial roles for the first time, feeling as though they are making it up as they go. Stir in the heightened pressure to grow, hire, spend and sell faster, some CEOs are finding their stress levels one notch below a meltdown, according to the report.
Jerry Colonna, an adviser to executives from startup companies including Etsy, Cheezburger and SoundCloud, is known to those he works with as the "Yoda of Silicon Alley" for providing executives with emotional support. According to Fortune, the demand for his services has grown to its highest level since he entered the business 10 years ago.
Last fall, Mr. Colonna co-launched the coaching firm Reboot, which offers executives mindfulness training, support groups and weekend "boot camps" costing $10,000. According to Fortune, Mr. Colonna's new business is part of a growing industry geared toward providing increasingly necessary support to a new generation of entrepreneurs. For example, one of Reboot's boot camp is designed just to help co-founders resolve their differences.
"People come to my office, they sit on my couch, and they cry," Mr. Colonna told Fortune. "Know that you're not alone."
Indeed, once executives see they are not alone in their profound states of anxiety, they feel much more relieved, Mr. Colonna explained.