Executive hiring rarely runs on a single track. While you're preparing for formal interviews, a second, quieter process is often happening in parallel: informal calls between board members, search consultants, and people in your professional network who weren't on your submitted reference list at all.
Why this backchannel exists
This informal layer exists because executive appointments carry higher stakes and longer horizons than most hires. A board isn't just filling a role — they're making a long-term bet on judgment, culture fit, and leadership style, often for a five- or ten-year horizon. That level of commitment pushes boards to seek independent confirmation beyond the references a candidate has personally selected and prepared.
The two tracks, side by side
It helps to think of an executive search as running on two parallel tracks — one you can influence directly, and one you largely can't:
Formal TrackInformal BackchannelWho's contactedReferences you submitPeople the board/search firm sources independentlyHow prepared they areCan be briefed and prepped in advanceUsually unprepared, speaking off the cuffWhat's discussedSpecific accomplishments, leadership examplesGeneral reputation, "would you hire them again"Your ability to influence itHigh — you choose and prepare these callsLow — you often don't know who's been contactedWhere it happens in the processTypically later, more structuredCan happen at any point, sometimes before you're aware you're a serious candidate
What this means for you
This distinction has two practical implications. First, your reputation exists somewhat independently of the reference list you submit — meaning the work of managing your professional reputation needs to happen continuously, throughout your career, not just during an active search. You can't fully control who gets asked about you informally, or when.
Second, the formal references you do submit still matter enormously, precisely because they're the most detailed, most prepared voices in an otherwise informal and unpredictable process. A board member fielding a casual, unprepared call about you might offer a vague, lukewarm impression simply because they haven't thought it through — but your formal reference, properly briefed, can offer the specific, memorable detail that actually shapes the final decision.
What executives who navigate this well actually do
The executives who handle this best aren't the ones who try to control every conversation happening about them — that's not realistic, and trying to micromanage an informal process usually backfires. Instead, they focus on two things within their control: consistently maintaining genuine, positive professional relationships over time (so that if an informal call happens, the impression left behind is already strong), and making sure their formal references are exceptionally well-prepared, since those are the calls they can actually shape.
The takeaway
You can't script the backchannel. You can make sure the part of the process you do control — your formal references — is as strong, specific, and well-prepared as possible, so it carries real weight even alongside an unpredictable informal layer.
Reference Ready™ Executive Advantage focuses specifically on that controllable part — ensuring your formal references represent your leadership with the depth this stage demands.
