Building relationships with senior leaders is so much more than just networking.

It’s about building trust, adding value, and positioning yourself as someone they want to support and advocate for. At the same time, it can also create a lot of stress, overwhelm or uncertainty on how best to approach senior leaders.

Perhaps you hesitate to engage for fear of seeming unimportant telling yourself "what value can I possibly bring to them?". Or you may approach the conversation the wrong way by focusing too much on your own needs rather than what matters to leadership.

Nurturing strong relationships with your executives opens doors and elevates your credibility. Additionally, doing so effectively creates opportunities for mentorship, career growth, and high-impact visibility.

Let’s break down how to build these relationships the right way.

Pitfalls when building relationships with senior leaders

I've seen it countless times over. Amazing professionals who hold themselves back with senior leaders by letting self-doubt get in the way. Additionally, there's other missteps to avoid, including:

→ Focusing only on yourself: If your interactions revolve solely around what you need from them (e.g., mentorship, visibility, career advice) without considering how you can add value, you risk coming across as transactional rather than strategic.

→ Only engaging when you need something: If the only time you reach out is when you’re asking for help, your interactions feel one-sided. Relationship-building is about consistency, not convenience.

→ Failing to prepare for interactions: Senior leaders are busy, so if you get an opportunity to engage with them, showing up without clear messages or thoughtful perspectives can leave a weak impression and hinder your personal brand.

→ Not understanding their priorities: Executives think in terms of company-wide goals, risks, and long-term impact. If your conversations don’t align with what matters to them most, they won’t resonate.

→ Being too passive: If you hesitate to initiate conversations or assume your executives aren’t interested in engaging with you, it will hurt your progression. The truth is, senior leaders respect proactive individuals who approach them strategically. In fact, they're often craving that as it gets lonely at the top.
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3 ways to build strong relationships with executives

1/ Own your value and engage with confidence

One of the biggest roadblocks when building relationships with executives isn’t lack of access, it’s lack of confidence. Many hesitate to engage because they feel they don’t have enough experience, insight, or value to offer.

Remember, if you’re in the room, you belong in the conversation.

Executives don’t expect you to have all the answers. What they respect are individuals who think critically, contribute meaningfully, and engage with confidence.

→ Shift your mindset from “seeking approval” to “offering perspective.” Instead of thinking, “Why would they care what I have to say?” reframe it as, “How can I contribute to this conversation?”. Also, do not minimize the insights you bring. For you, it may feel ordinary because you're in the thick of it day-to-day, but for your senior leaders, it could be hyper relevant information they want to know.

→ Recognize the value of fresh perspectives. Senior leaders make high-stakes decisions, but they often rely on team members for insights from the ground. After all, you are the closest person to your area of the business. Your experience, observations, and challenges are valuable inputs they need to make the most informed decisions.

→ Engage with executive presence. When you do speak up, own your space and use assertive communication. Instead of saying “Sorry, just a quick thought...”, use statements like “One perspective to consider is…”. Or another example, instead of “This might not be important, but…”, use statements like “I’ve noticed a trend that could impact our next steps and wanted to share it with you.”

→ Ask for their input, not their validation. Instead of approaching leaders as if you need permission to contribute, frame your questions as collaborative discussions. For example, “I’ve been analyzing recent customer feedback and noticed an interesting pattern. I’d love to get your take on whether this aligns with what you’re seeing at the leadership level and share my recommendation.”

Those who stand out aren’t necessarily the loudest in the room. They’re the ones who show up with conviction, contribute with clarity, and engage with executives as thought partners, not spectators.

[Check out my recent newsletter on How to strengthen your executive presence]

2/ Find small ways to add value before asking for anything

Strong relationships aren’t built on one-sided transactions. If you want senior leaders to take an interest in you, start by demonstrating your ability to think strategically and add value, without expecting anything in return.

→ Share relevant insights and connect the dots: Executives are constantly making high-level decisions, but they don’t always have time to track emerging trends at a granular level. If you can distill key insights and connect them to their priorities, you immediately become a valuable resource.

For example, if you come across an industry report, research finding, or competitive shift that aligns with a senior leader’s focus area, share it with a short, relevant note like, “I saw this McKinsey article on emerging trends in consumer behaviour. I thought it tied well with your recent quarterly report on market shifts.”

Pro tip: Instead of just forwarding an article, highlight 1-2 key takeaways and why they matter. This shows that you’re thinking critically, not just passing along information.

→ Support their initiatives and show strategic engagement: If a senior leader is championing a company-wide initiative, they’re actively looking for engaged professionals who understand the bigger picture and contribute meaningfully. You can attend company town halls and leadership-led sessions, and ask insightful questions. You can also offer to help drive engagement in areas where they need internal buy-in. If their initiative ties into your work, proactively share updates on progress or roadblocks.

For example, you can say, “I know you’re driving the company-wide push for customer experience improvements. Our team has been running a pilot project focused on reducing churn, and I’d love to share some key takeaways with you.”

This is exactly what one of our clients did within her first week of joining her new role, where she's already received major praise and acknowledgement from her VP.

→ Recognize their impact genuinely: Executives rarely get direct feedback. They often hear about problems, but not about the impact of their leadership on others. A well-timed acknowledgment can leave a lasting impression. Instead of vague praise like “Great job on the strategy update,” be specific. For example, “Your leadership during the recent org changes made a big difference. I appreciated the transparency and direction you provided as it helped our team navigate the transition more smoothly.”

Alternatively, if they gave you advice or insight that helped you, let them know, “I applied your advice from last quarter’s all-hands discussion, and it’s already making an impact. Thanks for sharing those insights.”

Pro tip: The key to effective recognition is authenticity. It shouldn’t feel forced or excessive. Just a simple acknowledgment of their leadership’s impact on you or the company.

3/ Build rapport through strategic visibility

Senior leaders naturally gravitate toward individuals who consistently show up, contribute at a high level, and think strategically. The key is to be visible, not by self-promotion, but by demonstrating impact, initiative, and insight in the right spaces.

→ Speak up with purpose in leadership meetings: Don't stay silent when senior leaders are in the room, assuming your input isn’t needed. Instead, ask insightful questions that show strategic thinking. For example, “Given our goal to increase market share in [X segment] this year, what factors should we be prioritizing to accelerate progress?”. Additionally, summarize key takeaways.

For example, if your senior leader shares an important insight, reflect it back concisely to show you’re actively engaged, like “That’s a great point on customer retention. It sounds like our biggest challenge is streamlining the onboarding experience. Does that align with what you’re seeing across departments?”

→ Get involved in cross-functional projects that increase your exposure: Senior leaders take note of people who understand and navigate multiple areas of the business. One of the best ways to gain visibility is by working on projects that span beyond your immediate team. If leadership is rolling out a strategic change, offer to be part of a working group to implement it. If your work impacts other teams, proactively connect with them to align efforts and then share insights with leadership. If you’re involved in a high-impact initiative, ask to present progress or learnings to your senior leaders. Even a small, concise update in a leadership meeting can increase your credibility.

For example, you can approach your boss and say “I know our leadership team is focused on improving internal efficiency this quarter. Given our team's experience in optimizing workflows, I’d love to contribute insights from our recent project. Would that be helpful?”

→ Strengthen relationships through thoughtful follow-ups: One interaction isn’t enough to build a relationship. You need to create multiple touch points over time with your leaders. Following up after a conversation with an executive is a great way to reinforce your connection and keeps you on their radar.

Here's some examples on how to do this:

#1. If they shared a key insight, reference it in your follow-up with, “Your perspective on [X topic] in yesterday’s town hall really resonated. I’ve been thinking more about how I can apply that in my role and look forward to putting that into action.”

#2. If they gave you advice or suggested an action step, let them know how you applied it with, “I took your advice on stakeholder alignment and adjusted my approach in a recent project. It made a huge difference.”

#3. If you’re working on something they care about, send a short update to show initiative like, “I wanted to share a quick win. Since we implemented the new process last month, we’ve seen a 12% improvement in response times. Thanks again for your support on this initiative.”

How will you build stronger relationships with executives?

Strong executive relationships aren’t built overnight. They’re built through consistent, strategic engagement. By owning your value, adding meaningful contributions before asking for anything, and showing up where it matters, you position yourself as someone worth investing in.

You've got this!