…Folake Soetan has navigated through the Aviation, Power, Oil and Gas sectors, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s development with her extensive experience.
Endorsement: Few things are more frustrating than watching an opportunity go to someone else when you know you have earned it. You delivered the results, exceeded expectations, and put in the work.
Yet, your name never came up when leadership appointments were being discussed. The reality is that performance gets attention, but sponsorship creates momentum.
This is because decision-makers sponsor people they know, trust, and believe can succeed at the next level. Naturally, trust is built through consistent results.
But beyond results, meaningful relationships create access, strengthen trust, and keep your name top-of-mind when opportunities arise. Equally important, visibility is built by solving meaningful problems.
Over time, credibility is established by demonstrating impact where it matters most. Consequently, sponsorship becomes an extension of your reputation.
A career-changing question remains: → Who is willing to put their reputation on the line for you when you are not in the room?
Here are some remarks regarding Folake’s statement
Michael Elue – Experience teaches that in life, you don’t just go up, you are often brought up. At every level, there are leaders and sponsors (gatekeepers) willing to speak your name in rooms you have not yet entered. That is why we must value relationships, build character, and consistently deliver excellence. Ultimately, the greatest endorsement is becoming someone others can confidently recommend.
Peter Sunday -What people say about you when you’re absent is built by what you said when you were present. The endorsement doesn’t happen in the room where decisions are made. It happens in the sentence someone reaches for when your name comes up — and most people have never given anyone a clean sentence to use. This is what I see with founders constantly. They do the work. They earn the room. But when someone tries to refer them, the words aren’t there. Not because the founder isn’t good — because the founder never made it easy to be described.
Unclear messaging doesn’t just cost you clients. It costs you the endorsement you already earned. Folake, how much of what people say about you when you’re absent do you think was shaped deliberately — versus left to chance?
Bidemi Oyedele – Even though this is very true in practice and an inalienable part of boardroom politics, I believe it’s still not the best because by it, good people often get overlooked and best employees often get shortchanged. I have often advocated and will continue to advocate a system that’s fair to all; not an utopia, but a system that rewards individuals according to their contributions to the system. If every employee had to chase relationship at work, I wonder what culture such an organization would live in and project.
Samson-Omera A – This is the uncomfortable truth that many high performers learn too late. Performance gets you noticed; sponsorship gets you selected. The distinction matters because sponsorship is inherently personal; it requires someone to stake their credibility on your future. That doesn’t happen through quarterly reports alone; it happens through consistent visibility, strategic problem solving, and genuine relationship building at every level.
Lois Duru – Performance earns attention. Sponsorship creates opportunity. But there is a third dimension that often determines whether either one endures: public trust. In infrastructure sectors especially, sponsorship cannot sustainably outpace outcomes. A recommendation may get someone into the room, but reliable service, operational excellence and measurable impact determine whether they remain there. The strongest sponsors are ultimately those whose own reputations are reinforced – not tested – by the people they champion. Perhaps the bigger question is not only “Who will speak for you when you’re absent?” but also “What results will speak for you when everyone is watching?”
