63: Loneliness in Leadership & the Messiness of Friendship [Friendship Series]

Friendship is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. But how do you navigate the messiness of friendship? And how do you overcome the challenge of loneliness as a leader?

 

We’ve talked before about building healthy relationships and we’ve discussed marriage, but we haven’t really tackled the issue of friendship on the podcast. Today we’re kicking off a new series diving into the topic of friendship in leadership.

 

And along with friendship sometimes comes the issue of loneliness. Loneliness is one of the biggest challenges leaders face, but a lot of times we don’t know how to talk about this or who to talk about it with. 

 

In today’s conversation, Holly and I share sharing our honest experiences with both loneliness and friendship in our lives.

For the full show notes for this episode, visit estherlittlefield.com/episode63

 

Key points discussed:

Dealing with Loneliness The Messiness of Friendship Challenges Leaders Face in Friendship

 

Key Quotes from the Episode:

“Loneliness is one of the biggest tools that Satan will use to destroy our ministry,  destroy our lives, if we let him.” - Esther

 

“The expectations of friendship and what we’re going into it looking for have a huge impact on how those friendships are built and what they will look like.” - Holly Cain

 

“Friendship is not static. It doesn’t stay the same. But in my idealistic expectations, it does.” - Esther Littlefield

 

“In any kind of friendship, someone has to go first with the vulnerability. If the leader isn’t doing that, then it’s going to be hard for other people to do that.” - Esther Littlefield

 

“The beauty, when you can get to the place where you have a good friendship with someone, far outweighs the risk of someone not replying to you.” - Esther Littlefield

 

“Stop convincing yourself that you are missing something.” - Esther Littlefield

 

“God moves people into our lives, yes for friendship, but also to challenge us.” - Holly Cain

 

Connect with Esther and Holly: Esther’s Website Holly’s Website Instagram Facebook Group Facebook Page

This episode was originally published on estherlittlefield.com/episode63.