At the executive level, there is a paradox that often goes unspoken: the leaders most qualified for the next big mandate are frequently the ones least visible to the market.
We call this the "Visibility Gap." It is the distance between your internal reputation for excellence and your external presence in the professional ecosystem. While your team knows your value, the wider market – boards, investors, and search partners – relies on what you intentionally project. Understanding how to close that gap is central to the work we do at bpe search.
Why we've partnered with Benj Chilcott, professional networking expert
In our ongoing work to support senior leaders and executives, bpe search has partnered with business consultant and relationship specialist Benjamin Chilcott. Benj's lived experience in business development and "relationship selling" highlights a fundamental truth: at SLT or Board level, opportunity comes through purposeful connectivity.
But this isn't about working a room with a career agenda. It's about investing in relationships for the long term – paying it forward, being generous with your time and insight, and building the kind of trust that compounds over years rather than serving a single transaction. The leaders who do this well aren't thinking about what they can get; they're thinking about what they can give.
As Benj explains, his approach is built on a simple philosophy: "I am someone who naturally tries to build relationships and networks... If you're thinking about building trust and not thinking about selling, I think you're able to sell better once you build that trust."
Through this partnership, we have identified several key principles that help leaders bridge the gap between "doing the work" and being recognised:
1. Authenticity Wins Over "The Pitch"
Networking is frequently misunderstood as a performance or a high-pressure sales tactic. In reality, the most effective networking is rooted in curiosity. By entering a room with a desire to learn rather than a drive to sell, leaders build trust more rapidly. More often than not, authenticity is the ultimate icebreaker.
Benj emphasises that the goal isn't simply a transaction: "It isn't to say what it is I want to get out of networking long term... actually, there's one thing that I believe that we should all be trying to achieve which helps enable those other things, and that comes back to building trust."
2. The Normalcy of Anxiety
Even for C-suite executives with a wealth of experience under their belts, "entering the room" can still be daunting. One of the most important takeaways from our work with Benj is that networking anxiety is universal.
"Everybody has it," Benj notes. "Everybody has that slight anxiety when they go into a room, and they don't know anybody. How am I going to break into it?" Confidence isn't the absence of nerves; it's the application of a few practical strategies, such as selecting events with content you actually enjoy or attending with someone you know, to manage them.
3. The "Digital Handshake"
Visibility is no longer just physical. A leader's digital presence – LinkedIn, industry articles, or AI-driven insights – acts as a support system. It ensures that when you do meet someone in person, the foundation of credibility has already been laid.
To master the digital handshake, consider these practical steps:
The "Thought of You" Moment: Networking doesn't always require a meeting. Use digital tools to share an article or an insight with a contact simply because you "thought of them". It nurtures the relationship without asking for anything in return.
LinkedIn as a Research Tool: Before attending an event, use LinkedIn to see who else is going. Finding a commonality beforehand – a shared previous employer or university – makes "breaking the ice" in person significantly easier.
Curation over Creation: You don't need to be a prolific "content creator" to be visible. Simply sharing a relevant industry report with a short, thoughtful comment on what it means for your sector is enough to signal your expertise to your network.
Testing Theory in Practice: The Workshop Environment
To help our network apply these insights, we host practical sessions, such as our upcoming workshop.
These sessions are designed as a "safe space" for leaders to test these concepts, from facilitating connections to mastering the "graceful exit" from a conversation.
As Benj suggests, a simple way to leave a conversation is to make it about your own personal goals: "I'm really sorry, I promised myself I'd speak to three different people here tonight before I leave. I've got to go in about 10 minutes, and I need to speak to one more person." It is an opportunity to move from the theory of visibility to the practice of building a sustainable professional ecosystem.
Closing the Loop: From Visibility to Impact
At bpe search, we see visibility as the starting point of a much bigger journey. When leaders invest in their professional networks and reputation, they don't just find opportunities more quickly – they land more effectively. They arrive with the stakeholder buy-in and "social capital" necessary to succeed when the real challenges of a new mandate begin.
This is why visibility sits at the heart of our approach across Search, Appointment, and Transition Coaching – because how well a leader is connected and recognised directly shapes how successfully they take on what comes next.
This piece was developed by bpe search in collaboration with Benjamin Chilcott. To learn more about our upcoming workshops or our Transition Coaching programmes, please contact the BPE search team.
