Many times in life, we need That One Person.
Someone said that the #1 success factor for hiring by far is having a strong internal champion who goes above and beyond to vouch for the hire. (Imagine someone yelling, “We must hire that person, otherwise I’ll quit!”)
Same goes for company acquisitions. In many cases, acquisitions happen when there’s a strong internal champion at the acquiring company that pushes the deal through despite a great headwind, such as objections from the upper management.
So you need That One Person. If you have someone like that — that’s great; you should be thankful and try to continue cultivating the relationship.
But make sure not to overuse the relationship. I’ve seen people who take for granted, bug the hell out of, or even guilt trip, those who they consider are their “way in” to an organization. Don’t do that.
Rather, make sure That One Person gets benefit from championing you. Help them get promoted to a Senior VP because of you. Help them get emotional reward from fighting for you because they know it’s worth it. Make the relationship win-win.