MY RANDOM THOUGHTS AND YOUR RANDOM THOUGHTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON PERSONAL IMAGE JOURNEY

Ke ea le lumelisa bo-mme

I am just wondering what were your random thoughts when you and I heard about the Standard Lesotho Bank Workmen’s Network Forum.

Often times when we are called to show up and share our human stories in the journey of life as holistic beings in our private and professional spaces, there is already an imagined storyline of form and context.  Anything outside of our expectations is often viewed with irrelevance.  Ka Sesotho: A seke a pota mosali! A re senyetsa nako.  Ekaba o bitsitsoe ke mang? Ha ana content. Joalo joalo.

When we engage on perspectives that has made me as a Distinguished International Investment Law and Transactional Lawyer and also why all of us gathered here today, we primarily focus on communicating what gives me and the audience a comfort space and avoid conversations that make us uncomfortable and avoid anything that is likely to make us question and introspect on our impact and contribution to society and humanity.

I believe those uncomfortable conversations are conversations we need to have as the honest and purest of us, whether viewed good or bad.

There is a general perception that, language rules how as humans we interact with each other.  We forget that language is but one of the many communication frameworks formed from:

• Thoughts
• View of what we see physically (persons, environmental spaces)
• Demeanour
• Facial expressions
• Speech
• Influences of others
• Physical presence
• Gestures

Communication began even before I Tiisetso Sello-Mafatle presented my views and also my human story.   It is the same communication that ultimately influences whether all of us as women gathered here today under the Theme:  Personal Image, Journey, Speech, and Habits for Success; will come out better and best versions of ourselves so that we serve.

I want us all to challenge ourselves and ask ourselves who are we?

1. Any thoughts about how your and my manner of communication impacts my immediate colleags and our seniors and juniors at work and those we serve in context bank customers and stakeholders.

Let’s make examples…

Role Play Card

Supervisor: Verbal Communication

• Our departmental quarterly report, let us also include the variables influencing revenue rise in the Retail Space. I will send an email shortly as well.

Response: E ea mme (sarcastic tone)

• Open plan sitting:

Random talk

Banker 1: Aebo! Did you see the Managing Director of our Subsidiary has received a show cause letter on her performance.

Banker 2: Uena! Ke bone.  Ha ke re ba be ba itse ba tseba mosebetsi!

Context: Banker 3 (seated 5 paces away from Banker 1 and Banker 2):  is their Supervisor from an Insurance space.

Random thoughts

• How do we show up in spaces like that?
• What does being toxic at a work space mean?
• Who is toxic?
• How are we toxic?
• If you define your work space as toxic who said it is true or false
• How did you get to the definition of knowing toxicity.

Random thoughts from the Audience.

5 Attendees

Now let me share random snippets of my life

Though my life is busy, it intentionally is removed from what I call noises.  Lerata.

Ho tloha lerateng fosters kindness and self-care on mental health and general focus on things that matter to me like – family, personal growth, empowerment and mentorship.

However, let me share that even with that life – style I have not escaped the wrath of society and gas lighting.

The good thing is that when you know and understand yourself – it doesn't matter.

How so?  Because I invest and consistently and intentionally take care of my relationship with God – I am conscious of the importance of spiritual capital and therefore I don’t live in fear. Ha ke tŝabe.

I will pause here and share with you my two (2) human stories that if I had not focused on myself (person) are but one of the life events that could have killed my spirit.  One is early on in my career as a Corporate Law Consultant and another very recent

This is one story: I had an assignment with a trade related international organization and one of the deliverables was to compile trade laws and related laws that impact trade.  For the reason that, not all of our Lesotho laws are collated nor easily accessible on electronic platforms at least then, I visited a number of Government offices to make sure I don’t miss out any.

One of the offices I visited was the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.  I went to a specified male office to explain what I need and we both went through a dossier of my compilation for review.  He then said, in fact also pass by Mrs X office.  I recall she is on a Draft legislation… I did that and explained myself.

To this day I still don’t appreciate why she then said: Ee ke utloile hore uena ha ntho u e batla oa e batla.  Nna ke u joetse, o ke ke oa e bona!

Enough said and I now want to focus on saying: Ha u se lerateng you have no fear and deal with unsavoury life experiences better.

I am a Member of the Mohlomi Corporate Governance Code, and also a Quality Assurance Committee Member.  We are aware that in 2023 the Inaugural (1^st) Khotla was held and I was invited as a Guest Speaker.  I did all that was required of me including availing my Keynote Address.

The programme clearly showed the lineup of speakers but when it was my turn the Programme Director skipped my name, I just imagined (though I was not told), the Speaker called to the stage is possibly travelling and I at the time had even forgotten that I saw where he checked in for the night.

The behaviour went on until our table was uncomfortable and a Professor from the UK and another white lady specialist volunteered that I use their space and I refused.  It was by then late in the night and the Chairperson of the Institute of Directors came to our table to show me a WhatsApp message that read:  Mme Tiisetso is not presenting.

Q:  Why?

PD:  She has not submitted her presentation.

I then showed him that I did and showed him the email.  As this is unfolding I am seated at a table far left of the stage and less than 10 paces away from the Programme Director.

Also, let me share that, I saw as he collected laptops for connection for other presenters and others presented from their laptops when they were called to the stage.

In frustration I left to go home, to cut the story short after a prayer by Ntate Robert Likhang at the parking lot, I went back to present but this is where it gets interesting:

I was bold enough to share the story on stage and address ethics.

Dear beautiful women of Standard Lesotho Bank in the circumstances I have shared, these are the challenges we face as we show up.

As we deal with our menses, period pains, school runs, personal care, attending to a myriad of our lives may we all just be kind human – beings!  Be kind! Be kind! Be kind!

Friday, 10 January 2025

Prepared by:

Attorney Tiisetso Sello-Mafatle

International Investment Law & Transactional Advisor

@ Sello-Mafatle Attorneys

A Pan African Business Executive and Law & Development Specialist Based Maseru  - Kingdom of Lesotho