09/02/2025
Sometimes executives hesitate when they first speak with us. They think, “Well, I’ve got this opportunity. I know Bob, who knows Jim, who knows Sarah at this organization. Maybe I’ll just wait and see what happens.”
It’s a tempting thought. After all, relying on your existing network has worked before. But here’s the problem: careers don’t come down to “maybe.” They come down to math.
On average, you only want to make one major move every four to five years. That means in the span of a 20–25 year executive career, you may only have five or six real opportunities to move up. And if you’re relying solely on luck, connections, or a single lead, you’re putting an enormous amount of risk on one roll of the dice.
The truth is, most executives never learn how to job search effectively at the executive level. They rely on outdated methods or on being “found.” But the reality is that the best opportunities are hidden in the referral market and go to those who know how to position themselves, brand themselves, and create multiple parallel opportunities.
Waiting to see if one connection comes through isn’t a strategy, it’s a gamble. And when you only have a handful of career moves to play with, a gamble is too costly.
