We’re sharing takeaways from a panel of some of the country’s female thought leaders; Lerato Mphaka (Moderator), Selloane Tsike, ‘Mannete Ramaili and ‘Makatleho Matabooe.
How do you women – as entrepreneurs, at their working environment – take their seat at the table?
Families are built by women. The special characters within women should be brought to the table. Women should unleash that power because they can. They are special. They have something different to offer. -Selloane Tsike
Women have a right to the table. They don’t need advice or empowerment to claim their space on the table. -‘Mmanete Ramaili
Women are always left behind when things have to be done. And that has become a norm and women have lost their confidence. It’s time women stand up. Be confident. Never allow any distractions to take the away your confidence. -‘Makatleho Matabooe
What do you say to women who are entrepreneurs and have to lead through resistance?
Traditionally, senior positions have always been for men. Women should always show that they understand what they’re doing. They can only achieve that by learning, reading and continually improving themselves. Stick to your principles. Stand your ground. -‘Makatleho Matabooe
It’s indeed a struggle to be a woman leader. As unfortunate as it is, because of social development, women have to prove themselves. Even when their decisions are second-guessed. When you’re a woman leader you’re called ‘bossy,’ when you’re a male leader, you’re called a ‘boss.’ Women should believe that they can. More women continue to venture in different industries and have been successful doing it. -Selloane Tsike
Don’t let yourself be abused by males. Always use your rigor, construct, and insights. Men are very weak. When you go to a meeting, men should feel your authority. Be prepared. Growing up, we have been taught how to prepare. You have to act like a man to fight, but don’t be arrogant. -‘Mmanete Ramaili
Sometimes we lose the battles that we fight, how do we know that the punches are part of the game? How do we stop our imposter syndrome?
It is a woman who is going to pin-point a mistake. As women let’s be supportive of one another and learn from our mistakes. We do make mistakes and once you’re aware of a mistake, pull up yourself and carry on with your life. -‘Makatleho Matabooe
Be realistic about life. You make mistakes when you do something. We have to appreciate ourselves. Surround yourself with positive people. Let’s be positive. Reflect but don’t dwell on your mistakes. -‘Mmanete Ramaili
It’s okay to make bad decisions. But what’s more important is how you recover. We don’t need to do everything perfectly. Let’s hold our hats high up. We are powerful beyond measure. We also need to learn from all those women who have travelled the road before us. Ask. We have women around us to ask from so that we make informed decisions. -Selloane Tsike
Talking about our country, pioneering women, at a country level how do we change the narrative about Lesotho?
Talk clean about your country. I want Lesotho one day to compete in the health industry because we have herbs to make it happen. As women, we have to align ourselves seamlessly with the bigger companies. -‘Mmanete Ramaili
Lesotho has a lot to offer. Lesotho has a lot of opportunities. Lesotho is not developed. We are not where we are supposed to be. We can make it work right here. There’s a lot that can be done here. We have to believe that we can make it work. -Selloane Tsike
The value proposition I see about Lesotho is our landscape. What are we doing about it? Why not take advantage of what we have and expand our knowledge? Young women live in an era of technology and can leverage that to make Lesotho a better place for tourism attraction. We have potential for business. Women need to stand up and take opportunities available. -‘Makatleho Matabooe