Here's How Lead5 Can Help You

Understanding opportunities that are available allows you to estimate your own value, as well as impute information about the health of your industry and function.
 
In short, as a senior-executive, the field for you is relatively narrow. Every move matters, and you need to be aware of activity that implicitly affects you.
 
And, of course, the right opportunity can move you from a passive searcher to an active one.

You don't want to wait until you're actively searching to start engaging recruiters. Instead, keep your name top-of-mind and place yourself in a position where recruiters are keeping you in the flow of opportunities even between your searches. What you want is a solid opportunity-stream that continues as you next roll into active-search mode.
 
Of course, then your reach-outs to these same recruiters will be to explicitly make them aware of your impending availability. You will find them much more responsive due to your prior efforts to cultivate a relationship.

Increasingly, corporate HR departments--particularly among Fortune 1000 companies--are employing internal Corporate Executive Recruiting/Talent specialists who serve as their companies' points of contact on executive searches. 
 
As a passive searcher, this is a networking exercise for you, plugging you into potential opportunity flows, as well as the growing network of internal executive recruiting specialists.
 
However, in passive-search mode, it may not be feasible to connect with every company that overlays with your general preferences. So, here you'll want to focus on the select few where there is keen potential interest in both directions.

Knowledge is power. Insight is actionable.
 
The benefit here is largely the same whether you're actively or passively searching. That is, it's always important to stay aware.

PE firms frequently drive executive hiring within their portfolio companies. If your wheelhouse includes PE-backed firms, you'll want to be plugged-in.
 
As a passive searcher, your goal is to make them aware of your potential future-candidacy, and to be a familiar name as new deals are consummated and new senior-management teams are assembled in the future.
 
These firms tend to be closely-guarded due to the competitive nature of the business, so you should not expect your networking activity with one firm to "cross-over" to others. However, each firm does a number of deals, meaning a single contact with one firm can expose you to a number of different future deal-driven opportunities.
 
The savvy executive multiplies this effect by engaging with a number of different firms.

Private Equity investments/acquisitions frequently lead to executive turnover (e.g. 75% of CFOs are replaced). You'll want to be aware of the opportunity-flow and of changes in your opportunity-universe that can result from the overall transaction activity in your space.

Proactive engagement with key contacts while in passive-search mode is critical to staying in the opportunity-flow as you roll into your next active search.
 
Being top-of-mind with these same stakeholders will also amplify your outreach efforts around specific opportunities you uncover when the time comes.
 
Engaging in a meaningful way requires disciplined intentionality, but does not have to be painful, especially if you can reasonably space-out your interactions. You just need a way to keep track and your Playbook allows you to manage the process with ease.