Most people blow it the moment they get in the room with a C-suite executive. Here’s how not to be that person.
After working alongside executives through 48 acquisitions and two IPOs, I’ve watched talented people fumble opportunities with senior leaders over and over again. Not because they weren’t capable, but because they approached it wrong. If you’re a thought leader trying to build real relationships at the top, here’s what actually works.
Build a real relationship, not a transaction
Executives can smell an agenda from a mile away. If you’re showing up to extract something, they know. The leaders who get real access are the ones who show genuine curiosity about the person’s work, their challenges, and their perspective.
Skip the pleasantries that go nowhere and have a real conversation. That’s where trust gets built.
Do the work before you show up
In order to build that real relationship, you’ve got to do your research first. Don’t think you can just wing it because you’re a likable person. This is a fast track to never hearing from them again.
Know their business.
Know their industry.
Know what problems are keeping them up at night.
LinkedIn is your cheat code here. Do the research.
When you come in with informed questions and relevant perspective, you stop being a visitor and start being someone worth their time.
Respect that time is their scarcest resource
You usually only have a finite period of time before they either engage or dismiss you. Be direct and communicate effectively. Don’t ramble. Nothing signals respect faster than someone who can communicate with precision and doesn’t drag out a conversation past its value.
Executives remember the people who were worth their time.
Lead with value, every time
The fastest way to build credibility at the C-suite level is to show up with something useful.
An insight they haven’t heard.
A connection that’s relevant to a problem they’re solving.
A perspective that forces them to think different.
If you’re consistently adding value, you become someone they want in their corner.
Follow through after the conversation
This is where most people drop the ball completely and everything you’ve done above ends up being wasted.
Send the note.
Share the relevant article you mentioned.
Keep them updated on something you said you’d follow up on.
Bonus: Introduce them to another peer at their level that will add genuine value to them.
These small actions compound over time and separate the people who get one meeting from the people who build lasting relationships.
C-suite access is not the goal. Relationships with people at that level, built on trust and mutual respect, that’s the goal.
Get that right and the opportunities follow naturally.
