LeadershipDevelopment

Networking at the Top: Why Senior Executives Struggle - and How to Get It Right

Most networking advice is written for people climbing the ladder, not for those already at the top. Yet the higher you rise, the harder genuine connection becomes. As Herminia Ibarra and Spish Rurak noted in their HBR article “The Challenges of Networking as an Executive” (Sept 2023), senior leaders face a distinct set of […]

By William Langdon-BanksNov 5, 2025

Most networking advice is written for people climbing the ladder, not for those already at the top. Yet the higher you rise, the harder genuine connection becomes.

As Herminia Ibarra and Spish Rurak noted in their HBR article “The Challenges of Networking as an Executive” (Sept 2023), senior leaders face a distinct set of hurdles: ego, secrecy, unrealistic timelines, and the inability to delegate the work. Having coached and placed hundreds of executives through Key Search, I’ve seen these same patterns repeatedly.

Here’s how to recognise and overcome them.

1. Ego gets in the way

At senior level, identity and status are deeply tied to competence. Asking for help can feel like weakness. The irony is that the strongest leaders are usually those willing to admit when they need perspective.
How to counter it: start small. Reach out to a few trusted peers or ex-colleagues, not to “ask for a job” but to compare notes. Repetition rewires the discomfort. Every positive exchange makes the next one easier.

2. Secrecy becomes self-sabotage

Executives fear visibility during a transition, yet total silence kills opportunity. You can’t build a network by hiding.
Instead: practice selective transparency. Identify 10 - 15 trusted contacts outside your current chain of command. Frame your outreach as long-range market mapping, not job hunting. Senior people respect discretion if you ask for it directly.

3. The search always takes longer than you think

At C-suite level, fit, trust, and timing dominate. Vetting processes stretch from months to a year. Impatience breeds bad decisions.
The fix: treat networking as a parallel discipline. Fill your calendar with high-energy, low-risk activities - mentoring, board advisory, or pro-bono projects - that keep you visible while the slower work unfolds.

4. You can’t delegate this

Many leaders are conditioned to outsource detail. But authentic connection can’t be delegated. You have to make the calls yourself.

Build a system:
Information givers - people who keep you informed on markets and trends.

Door openers - connectors who can vouch for you.

Decision makers - those with hiring authority.

Start with 50 names, track every conversation, and finish each one with “Who else should I speak to?”

5. Focus on the future, not the backstory

Executives often over-explain why they’re leaving, turning each meeting into a defence of the past. Nobody hires out of sympathy.
Keep the ratio 20:80 - 20 per cent context, 80 per cent forward-looking. What are you exploring? What business problems do you love solving? People respond to direction, not damage control.

6. Tailor your story every time

There’s no universal elevator pitch at this level. Generic messaging signals low effort.
Shift the lens: stop talking about yourself; start talking about them. Show that you understand their commercial pressure points and can contribute to solving them.
Example:
“I saw your group moving towards real-time pricing. At [Company] we achieved a 28% inventory reduction in two quarters by aligning operations and data science under one P&L. Happy to share what worked.”
It’s not a pitch - it’s a conversation about value.

Final thought

Networking at the top isn’t a campaign; it’s a continuous discipline.
Do the work yourself. Be discreet but visible. Lead with curiosity and generosity.
Your network is decades of professional capital. Nurtured methodically, it compounds faster than any investment you’ll make this year.

William Langdon-Banks is a Partner at Key Search, an executive search firm helping high-growth technology companies and investors hire exceptional leadership across Europe and beyond. Get in touch with him here!

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What are your key takeaways from this post? How do you see these ideas shaping executive search and leadership strategies in your organization?

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Written by

William Langdon-Banks

Partner | Deeptech & AI Infrastructure | Investors & Board Advisory | Logistics & Supply Chain

William Langdon-Banks is a Partner at Key Search, where he works across DeepTech and AI Infrastructure, Logistics and Supply Chain, and Investors and Board Advisory, focused on C-Suite and Board level mandates. He helps founders, boards, and investors find the leaders who can handle both the chaos of rapid growth and the discipline of building something that lasts. William's practice is rooted in nearly two decades of executive search across network and communications infrastructure, a foundation that now sits at the centre of the AI datacentre buildout and informs how he thinks about leadership in the infrastructure layer today. At Key Search, the measure of success is tenure, not placement. C-suite churn is expensive and disruptive and most searches don't account for it. Every engagement includes 12 months of integration coaching, and placements average a 2-year retention rate. Shortlists in 20 business days or less. He is Monaco-based, with close ties to Japan through his wife, which probably explains why he takes the long view on most things. It also gives him select experience placing into the Japanese market, a relatively rare capability in European executive search.

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Key Search

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This article and its photos were created with the use of A.I. and reviewed by a human Key Search Partner.

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