How Senior Leaders Build Secret Hype Networks
Why top senior leaders don't rely on marketing—they rely on specific, scripted relationships.
You are scrolling LinkedIn at 11:00 PM, crafting the perfect post about your top “leadership lessons.”
This one is sure to be a hit.
You optimize the hook, check the engagement metrics, and hope the algorithm blesses you with visibility.
Meanwhile, the executive who just landed the role you wanted hasn’t posted in six months.
They are invisible on the feed.
But before the role was even posted, the hiring manager heard from three people. They told the recruiter: “Pay attention to this candidate.”
The recruiter back channeled a half dozen other leaders to prove they’d done their homework—and everyone said the exact same thing, word for word.
Most executives operate under a false assumption.
They think they have a marketing problem.
“I need to post more.”
“I need a better personal brand.”
“I need more visibility.”
If this is you—you’re wrong.
You don’t have a marketing problem, you have a sales problem.
Most of us struggle to sell ourselves. That ends now.
Let’s define the difference:
The way that most people think about marketing is akin to casting a wide net and shouting into a void, hoping someone hears you.
Whereas sales is understanding that you need to develop internal champions and equip specific people to close deals on your behalf when you aren’t in the room.
If you are relying on posting to get hired, you are playing the lottery.
Top senior leaders don’t play the lottery. They build a distribution network.
This is exactly how I run my business. I’ll be transparent about how I run ThinkWarwick Global.
Outsiders will say it’s a word-of-mouth operation—how much of that do you think I orchestrate?
When you speak with 10-15 senior leaders everyday for a decade plus, you don’t need to run ads. You don’t even need a website. Hell, I probably don’t even need LinkedIn anymore, but I just can’t quit you baby.
I don’t “market” in the traditional sense.
I started this newsletter to build clarity of thought for client challenges I was facing. I do my best thinking while writing.
Sharing that publicly built a following.
But here’s what most people miss. The newsletter and 30,000+ followers on LinkedIn does not meaningfully move the business forward.
So what does?
I have a thriving business because I have an invisible army—a nurtured group of 200+ former clients, peers, and advocates who know exactly what to say about me when my name comes up—and how to bring my name up when they hear specific triggers.
I do not leave this to chance.
I have made a habit of checking in regularly to provide insight on the market, add value, and yes, assess how others are talking about me—and updating how I’d like to be spoken about to the market if something is off.
When a potential client asks around about me, they don’t hear “Jacob is a good career coach.”
If they do, it’s still appreciated—but it’s weak and it creates noise I must overcome in the sales process. Leads from that messaging are much harder to close—almost not worth it.
What they actually hear:
“Jacob sees the blind spots in your positioning and shows you how to negotiate for what you’ve been leaving on the table—without adding risk.”
Or simpler: “He’s your secret weapon when compensation is on the line. You want him in your corner.”
Notice the precision?
It defines the Problem (you’re undervalued).
It defines the Outcome (you want more money).
It defines the Risk Mitigation (you don’t want to blow up the offer).
That isn’t luck. That is architecture.
Architecture that I learned from their feedback in the first place.
I didn’t just hope they would say that. I asked about their experience, learned, adapted, and then trained them to say that. And because they all use the same specific language, the market accepts it as objective truth.
In return, I craft their narrative with them, make introductions with that narrative, and adapt as we learn.
And round and round we go.
The process I’m about to show you isn’t complex. But it requires precision. And it starts with understanding that your reputation isn’t built by what you say about yourself—it’s built by what you train others to say when you’re not in the room.
Here is how you build your own invisible army.
Weaponizing “The Illusory Truth Effect”
Your brain is lazy.
Not in a bad way—it’s just efficient. It takes shortcuts to save energy. And one of the most powerful shortcuts is this—if you hear something multiple times, your brain starts treating it as true—especially from a person of authority that you respect.
This is called the Illusory Truth Effect.
Psychologists Hasher, Goldstein, and Toppino discovered it in 1977. They found that repetition alone—without any additional evidence—creates the feeling of truth. Your brain uses Fluent Processing as a proxy for accuracy.
Translation: “If this information comes easily to me, it must be reliable.”
Here’s why this matters for your career:
If three unconnected people tell a recruiter, “Sarah turns chaotic growth into scalable infrastructure,” the recruiter’s prefrontal cortex doesn’t just remember you. It accepts it as an objective fact to save cognitive energy.
The recruiter isn’t being lazy or stupid.
Their brain is doing what brains do—looking for patterns to reduce cognitive load. When the same specific language appears three times from different sources, the brain stops questioning and starts believing.
Here’s what this looks like in practice:
Scenario A (Improvisation): A hiring committee hears three different stories about you. One person says you’re “strategic.” Another says you’re “a great culture fit.” A third says you “work hard.”
The result?
The committee’s brain has to work to synthesize this. That triggers cognitive load. In a high-stakes hiring decision, confusion creates uncertainty. And uncertainty equals risk.
Scenario B (Orchestration): That same committee hears the exact same phrase from three unconnected people: “Sarah turns chaotic growth into scalable infrastructure.”
The result?
The brain shortcuts the evaluation. It assumes, “If everyone is saying it, it must be an objective fact.”
This isn’t manipulation—it’s precision. You’re giving people the language to describe what they’ve already seen you do.
This is the asset you’re building. Not awareness. Not visibility.
Cognitive Ease.
When a hiring committee hears consistent, specific language about you—from multiple sources—they don’t experience it as “sales.” They experience it as consensus reality.
Daniel Kahneman calls this Cognitive Ease in his work on decision-making. The easier information is to process, the more true it feels.
Consistency across sources = easy to process = trusted.
Now here’s the part most people miss:
Generic praise creates Cognitive Friction. Specific language creates Cognitive Ease.
When someone says “They’re a great leader,” the hiring committee’s brain has to work.
Great how? Compared to who? In what context?
But when someone says “They turn the chaotic growth you’re experiencing into scalable infrastructure,” the brain relaxes.
That’s specific. That’s a real thing. I can picture that.
Robert Cialdini calls this Social Proof—we don’t evaluate people in isolation.
We use what others say as a cognitive shortcut.
The trap is that most people are terrible at advocating for you because they improvise. And because you left it up to chance.
Your job is to orchestrate all of this.
Your reputation is either compounding interest (coordinated, repeated messaging that builds value over time) or depreciating liability (random, improvised praise that sounds like everyone else and erodes your differentiation).
Leaving it to chance creates noise. Coordinating it creates revenue.
For example, I work with multiple leaders who have 100,000–250,000+ followers on LinkedIn.
Several of them make under $100k annually. They’re broadcasting to an audience, but no one is coordinating their message in the rooms where decisions happen.
And as a result—their scale doesn’t translate to revenue.
I also work with executives who have under 500 connections. Several of them command $2M+ compensation packages.
The difference?
The influencer is broadcasting. The executive is coordinating.
So why are we so quick to tell our colleagues—”You have to be more active on LinkedIn!”
Followers = Attention.
Invisible Army = Revenue.
The leaders who understand this don’t leave their reputation to improvisation. They manufacture Cognitive Ease by ensuring that when their name comes up, the same specific language appears—over and over—until it becomes indistinguishable from truth.
You’re not manipulating anyone.
You’re just understanding how brains work—and giving them what they need to trust you.
So let’s talk about what you give them.
Phase 1: The Narrative Supply Chain (Drafting the Script)
You cannot let your network improvise.
If someone asks about you and they say “They’re smart” or “Great leader,” you’ve already lost.
That language could describe 10,000 other executives. It has no edges. And it’s harder to tell the difference between candidates.
Your job is to give them the exact words.
Think of this like franchising. You wouldn’t let a franchisee rewrite the menu. Don’t let your advocates rewrite your value proposition.
Define Your One-Sentence Transformation
This isn’t what you do. It’s what changes when you enter the room.
The Formula:
“I’m the [role] you call when [specific painful problem] and you need to [specific valuable outcome] without [specific fear/cost].”
Examples:
“I’m the CFO you call when growth is outpacing infrastructure and you need to build financial systems that scale without slowing down sales.”
“I’m the CTO you bring in when legacy tech is strangling innovation and you need to modernize without breaking what’s working.”
“I’m the operator you hire when the P&L is underwater and you need to cut costs by 30% without touching headcount.”
Notice what each one does:
Defines the problem (growth outpacing infrastructure / legacy tech strangling innovation / P&L underwater)
Defines the outcome (build systems that scale / modernize / cut costs 30%)
Defines the risk mitigation (without slowing sales / without breaking what works / without touching headcount)
Your assignment: Write your one-sentence transformation. Test it on three people who know your work. If they say “Yeah, that’s exactly what you do,” you’ve nailed it.
If you’re struggling to find the right language, look at what others have already said about you—LinkedIn recommendations, performance reviews, unsolicited testimonials.
What phrases keep appearing?
I did this exercise myself this year. I realized my messaging skewed too “Hollywood shark.” What my clients were actually saying? “Straight shooter who sees blind spots and shifts mindsets.”
I’ve been updating my website, client decks, and yes—even planning to change my headshot in 2026 to match the narrative. That also means I need to beat the drum again and make sure my invisible army follows along.
Yeah, probably too Hollywood looking.
Your visual identity and your verbal identity need to align.
This is your memetic payload—the phrase that sticks in someone’s brain and comes out when a recruiter asks about you.
Once you have it, you’re ready to distribute it.
Phase 2: Recruiting the Nodes (The Core 20)
You don’t need an audience of thousands. You need a Cabinet of 20.
These aren’t your LinkedIn connections. They’re not people who “liked” your last post. They’re the high-leverage individuals positioned in rooms where decisions about you happen—or could happen.
The Three Criteria:
Positional Authority — They’re in conversations where your name might come up. Recruiters call them. Hiring managers trust them. Boards listen to them.
Narrative Credibility — When they speak, people believe them. Their endorsement carries weight because they’ve earned respect in your industry or function.
Authentic Connection — They’ve seen you work. They’ve experienced the transformation you create. They can speak from direct observation, not speculation.
The Composition - Your Core 20:
Former Bosses (2-3): They speak to your performance under pressure
Cross-Functional Peers (4-5): They speak to your collaboration and influence across teams
Direct Reports (2-3): They speak to your leadership and how you develop people
Industry Validators (3-4): They speak to your thought leadership and domain expertise
Client Champions (3-4): They speak to your commercial impact and results
Board Members/Advisors (2-3): They speak to your strategic judgment
Not everyone makes the cut. Your college roommate who thinks you’re brilliant? Not in the Core 20. Your former boss who watched you turn around a failing division? Absolutely.
The Recruiting Conversation:
Most people ask: “Can I use you as a reference?”
That’s reactive. That’s hoping they remember something good when a recruiter calls six months from now.
Here’s what the top senior leaders do instead:
“I’m building a small group of people who really understand my value and leadership. When my name comes up in your world—I want to make sure you can speak to the value I bring confidently. Would you be open to a 15-minute conversation where I walk you through how I’m positioning myself?
And I want to do the same for you. How are you thinking about your own positioning? Who should I be keeping an eye out for in your world?”
This isn’t asking for a favor. You’re inviting them into your strategy.
Why this works: It triggers reciprocity.
You’re treating them like an insider. People protect what they’re invested in. And when that recruiter does call, they’re not scrambling to remember what you did—they’re delivering the message you armed them with.
Your Core 20 are your sales reps. Treat them like a sales team. Give them a quota of information, not a quota of dollars.
Once you’ve identified them, it’s time to activate them—and then later—scale them.
Phase 3: The Deployment (The “Update” Tactic)
You’ve identified your Core 20. You’ve had the recruiting conversation. Now comes the part most people miss: maintenance.
Your Invisible Army degrades without it.
Memory fades. People change companies. New priorities emerge. If you’re not actively keeping your narrative fresh in their minds, you’re letting your equity depreciate.
You need discipline and habit for decades to maximally protect your career (and best show up for those in your network as well).
The Quarterly Insider Update
Every 90 days, send a personal message to your Core 20. Not a mass email. Not a LinkedIn post they might scroll past. A direct message that feels like you’re bringing them inside.
Here’s an idea to start.
Subject: Quick update + positioning check
Hey [Name],
Wanted to keep you in the loop on what I’ve been working on.
[Brief context on current work—2-3 sentences max. What you’re doing, impact you’re seeing, where you’re headed.]
I’m being more intentional about how I’m positioned in the market right now. If someone were to ask you about me—which might happen given your network—here’s the specific language I’d love for you to emphasize:
[Your One-Sentence Transformation—BOLDED]
Does that feel authentic to what you’ve seen from me? If it does, I’d appreciate you keeping it in mind.
And as always—if there’s a way I can return the favor (an intro, a reference, a sounding board), I’m here.
[Your Name]
The key move: You bold the exact phrase you want them to repeat.
When someone asks about you six months later, their brain recalls that bolded sentence. They don’t improvise. They deliver your message.
The Maintenance System
Between quarterly updates, keep your Core 20 activated with these three tactics:
1. The Value Drop (Ongoing): Send 2-3 relevant articles, intros, or insights per quarter. No ask attached. Just value. This primes reciprocity—when you give without asking, people feel compelled to return it.
2. The Signal Boost (Ongoing): When someone in your Core 20 accomplishes something, amplify it publicly. Write the post that makes them look good. When you increase someone’s status, they’re neurologically wired to protect yours.
3. The Pre-Seeded Referral (When Needed): When you’re in late-stage conversations for a role, don’t wait for reference checks. Message your advocates: “There’s a chance someone might reach out about me for [Company/Role]. If they do, I’d love for you to emphasize [specific thing].”
By the time the recruiter calls, they’ve already rehearsed the narrative.
Your Invisible Army isn’t built once. It’s maintained, activated, and scaled over time.
The executives who do this don’t hope for great opportunities. They engineer the conditions where great opportunities find them inevitable.
Show up for them, speak highly of them, support their work, make introductions for them, provide unsolicited value, create opportunity—and it will come back around.
Always give more than you take.
Your Move
You’re reading this because you know something is off.
You’re doing great work. People respect you. But when your name comes up in the rooms that matter, the message is... fuzzy. Generic. Forgettable.
That ends now.
You don’t need to post more. You don’t need a rebrand. You need 20 people who know exactly what to say about you—and you need to give them the words.
This isn’t about being fake. It’s about being clear.
Your work speaks for itself?
No.
Your work is silent. Your advocates speak for you. And right now, they’re improvising.
Build your Cabinet of 20. Write your one-sentence transformation. Send the quarterly update. Show up for them relentlessly.
The executives commanding the premium offers aren’t smarter than you. They’re just more deliberate about what gets said when they’re not in the room.
Your invisible army is waiting. Go activate it.
Need help applying this? Upgrade to paid for monthly live sessions with Jacob.
Stay fearless, friends.