The Gatekeeper

Sarah pressed her lips against her clenched fist, deep in thought as the presentation continued. She was already calculating her next moves. Sarah and Olajide, her colleague in the business development unit, were the department’s star performers. Like Olajide, she had her eye on the prize. 

The head of operations was leaving the company. She was relocating to Australia with her family. She and the head of HR had spent months discussing how to ensure her departure did not intensify the fierce rivalry between the two business development superstars. It was a genuine concern for both women. They had tried everything, but the CEO, John Van Dijk, had only served to undermine their efforts. He welcomed the rivalry, sometimes even exploiting it for his own gain. 

John had already presented the company’s ambitious plans for the new year. Among the major projects were fish farms in Jos, Lagos and Kano, where the company planned to develop facilities on large tracts of land it had acquired. 

Sarah pursed her lips, tapping them with her index finger as she contemplated the presentation. Once the meeting was over, Olajide sprang to his feet and walked out of the boardroom. She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, and it made her uncomfortable. People were still discussing the big ideas and projects John had just presented. His abrupt departure made it seem as though he was already making moves. 

The situation between Olajide and Sarah had not always been so intense and adversarial. It had started cordially. They had joined the company two months apart, with Olajide being recruited first. When Sarah joined, Olajide became her work companion. He showed her the ropes: which nearby restaurant served the best or healthiest food, whom to avoid in the office, and all the other little things that made settling into a new workplace easier. 

They were office besties for over nine months. 

Then came Little John. That was what people called him in the office, though never to his face. He bore no resemblance to the character in Disney’s Robin Hood. He was a very small, round man, pot-bellied and bald at the crown. 

The office camaraderie made him uncomfortable. He wanted two things: bigger results and teams competing against one another. The latter was a tactic he had often deployed in his experience as a people manager to get the best out of people. 

His appointment as group CEO marked the beginning of their rivalry. Sarah was the first to draw blood. While Olajide was still trying to play fair, he once shared an idea with Sarah in confidence, hoping she would help him fine-tune the strategy. She listened intently and encouraged him. To his amazement, a week later, she presented the very idea he had bounced off her. The difference was that she had fine-tuned it and turned it into a proper execution plan. The room was blown away by the deck. As she returned to her seat amid the applause, she knew better than to look towards Olajide’s side of the room. He was livid and could hardly believe anyone was capable of such a thing. That was the day the rivalry began. 

Fast-forward to today, and they barely spoke. They exchanged only pleasantries. The only thing missing from their rivalry was the use of occultic powers. They avoided each other like the plague. There was rivalry everywhere, but none compared to theirs. 

“Hey, Sarah. What do you think?” came the voice from behind her. 

“It was a great presentation, John. I’m quite fired up for the challenge.” 

“I bet you are,” John replied. “These are ambitious goals for the new year, but anything that doesn’t give you sleepless nights isn’t worth the hassle.” 

She spun her chair around to face him. 

“I quite agree.” 

“And the targets? Any comments?” 

“No, not at all. In fact, a name just came to mind as we were speaking. I might as well give him a call. Just a minute, John.” 

“It’s okay, Sarah. Do your thing. I trust you to shatter the bar you set last time.” 

He patted her on the shoulder and left. He was heading to his office to call Olajide and a few other trusted star performers, planning to tell them exactly the same thing and set them competing against one another all over again. 

He loved every moment of the manipulation cycle. Sarah’s call rang out. The ringtone suggested the man was away, but he did not answer. She sent him a message by way of greeting. She then called a meeting with her small team of three direct reports. She outlined the plan: the FMCG companies to visit, the leads to pursue and the timelines. There was no time to waste. As she was packing up to leave, the man returned her call. 

“Oh, it’s okay, sir. Sir, will you be in the office? Oh, okay. Enjoy your holiday, sir, and safe travels.” 

She ended the call. 

A few weeks passed, and only one of the raw leads had converted into a pipeline opportunity. Sarah was tense. Time was ticking, and she could not afford to be seen as second-best when making an impression on the CEO and the board with the new opportunity the company was pursuing. She grilled her team members, demanding explanations for their failure to convert more leads. She was not convinced by their responses and challenged them with new tactics she reeled off. 

Sarah, like the biblical matriarch, was exceptionally beautiful. She knew how to wield her superpower without getting her hands dirty. A smooth operator, she usually got what she wanted before her target realised what had happened. By then, she was gone. She was not used to being turned down. 

But one company, the biggest of them all, had been stalling. The contact her team member had approached had asked for additional information and documents, promising to get back to her once he had received them. 

Sarah rolled her eyes. 

“We will be going back there on Tuesday. Their chairman is a good friend of mine. This is sorted already not to worry.” 

“Hello. How are you? I thought I said I would get back to you?” came the voice. 

The man was affable and debonair. Simply dressed, he looked like a nerd. He emerged from behind the reception area, passed through the barriers and walked towards Sarah’s subordinate, Jade, who stood to meet him. They exchanged a handshake. Sarah remained seated on the couch, observing the exchange. She sized him up and could not bear it any longer. While they were talking, she walked behind Jade and whispered in her ear. 

“Is that him? What did he say his position was in the company again?” 

Jade turned her head away from the man and replied in a low voice. 

Sarah sucked her teeth and walked past him, heading straight for the reception desk. Jade followed, leaving the man standing alone. 

“Excuse me, I would like to see the chairman.” 

“Do you have an appointment?” 

“Yes,” Sarah lied. “How else would I know he is back? He told me personally.” 

The receptionist picked up on her attitude but remained unfazed. She picked up her desk phone and made a call. 

“I’m sorry, there’s no appointment recorded for Sarah to see the chairman today. Perhaps there’s been a mix-up.” 

Sarah rolled her eyes again. 

By then, the man from procurement had left. Sarah started making calls. First the chairman, then his personal assistant. Neither answered. A text came in from the PA. 

“Hi, Sarah. We’re in a meeting. What’s up?” 

After she responded, he texted again. 

“We should be done in about half an hour. Chairman has a flight to Switzerland by 8 p.m., and he still has to get home before flying.” 

And so they waited. 

“I just spoke to Toyin. I’ll wait for the chairman while he concludes his meeting.” 

She mentioned the PA’s name loudly enough for everyone else at reception to hear, making it clear that she knew the chairman and was no ordinary visitor. Forty-five minutes later, the chairman still had not come down. 

Was he no longer travelling? 

She decided to keep herself busy with Instagram Reels. 

Then the chairman appeared, surrounded by people moving so quickly that it felt as though they were running. That did not faze her. 

She leapt to her feet, as did everyone else in the reception area, but she was the only one bold enough to block the chairman’s path. 

“Chairman! So good to see you again, sir!” 

The two undercover guards glanced at him, checking whether he knew the woman before moving to shove her aside. 

“Hey, Sarah! How are you? It would be great to catch up, but I’m running late for my next flight. Is it urgent?” 

He did not slow down. 

She tried to launch into her elevator pitch, which had never failed her. This particular pitch was critical. Securing the business would fulfil at least 80 per cent of the ambitious target her team had been given. 

“Oh, that? Not a problem. Mr Akingbade! Where’s Mr Akingbade?” 

The chairman still did not stop walking. His SUV and security convoy were already waiting at the entrance. Eventually, the man appeared, hurrying to catch up with the chairman. As he climbed into his SUV, the chairman pulled the man closer. 

“This is your man right here. Anything that has to do with procurement, you’re in luck.” 

With that, he shut the door, and his convoy pulled away. 

The man he had been referring to was the very person Sarah had brushed off. He turned to both women, still perfectly polite. 

“Good evening, Ms Sarah. As I mentioned to Ms Jade, I would get back to you once I receive your email containing the documents I requested. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to head back to the meeting.” 

The meeting was not over. The chairman had simply needed to make an exit.