Despite having the qualities needed to become leaders, many people are reluctant to assume leadership roles. We suggest that loneliness can be an important deterrent for the emergence of leaders. In Study 1, a survey of employees and their supervisors (n = 691) found that feelings of loneliness are associated with a lower willingness to lead, with lower leader identity endorsement, and with lower leadership self-efficacy. Leadership self-efficacy mediated the relationship between leader identity endorsement and the willingness to lead. In Study 2, a sample of MBA consulting teams (n = 85) revealed that students who felt lonely engaged in less informal leadership (as rated by their peers). Consistent with Study 1, loneliness also predicted lower leader identity endorsement and lower leadership self-efficacy. Study 3 (n = 604) provided evidence that beliefs about leadership as a lonely endeavor dampen the endorsement of a leadership identity, with higher perceived image risk from leading mediating this relationship. This research highlights the importance of fostering human connections in leadership to motivate people to step up and lead. Fostering a sense of connectedness in organizations can not only enhance the well-being of its members, but also boost the emergence of leaders.
