Mateboho Phali

• A Focused Queen
• From Back office Consultant to Manager in 3 years.

It is a well-known African belief that parents name their children in the hope that they will live up to that name. And it is safe to say Mateboho’s climb up the corporate ladder has certainly been a fulfilment of this belief. The name “Mateboho” is of Lesotho origin. It means “gratitude” or simply being “thankful” – and that is how she feels whenever she looks at how far she has come.

Mateboho tells us the story of how she became passionate about social work at a very young age. She says her interest in the profession and caring for others stems from her regular visits to an elderly home with a family friend who was a social worker by profession; as well as seeing her grandparents constantly doing charity work in the community and the church where her grandfather was a clergyman.

Upon completing her high school, Mateboho decided to enrol for Bachelor of Science qualification at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. However, she decided to deregister when she found out that it was not exactly what she thought it would be. Mateboho felt that she did not do thorough research on the field. Perhaps her passion for helping people was still ignited.

In 2008, Mateboho joined telecommunications company, – catapulting her career to great heights. This time, she put in hours of research and hard work. Looking back, Mateboho says determination fuelled her journey to the top. She started off as a consultant in the contact centre as a back office administrator.

“There was so much to learn as I had never worked in the corporate world before. I’m also grateful because we were given tools and coaching as we went along to help us properly educate customers” – perhaps this is when she developed an interest in a different form of social work, leadership and life coaching. Mateboho says things started taking shape when she was in the retention space. “We were in a different dimension where we were exposed to so much more”.

It was clear that Mateboho was determined to learn and grow within the organisation. She always had her hand up whenever talent grooming opportunities arose in the division she was in. Moreover, she took it upon herself to learn about her environment and its structure in order to plan out her growth path.

Through networking and research, she met a friend who asked her about her career goals and offered to review her curriculum vitae. “She gave me advice on how to structure and word my CV”. The friend advised Mateboho to always carefully look at the job specifications and determine if she possesses the skills and qualifications required for the job before applying. A lot of applicants often simply submit cv’s for roles they simply do not qualify for and get disheartened when they don’t get called for interviews.

Mateboho landed a supervisory level consultant job by using her newfound knowledge, this after being in the back office environment for over 5 years. In less than three years, she advanced to another higher level. Mateboho says she stuck to her growth plan and when she applied for the managerial role she just got; it was really a huge celebratory moment for her, given all the hard work she has put in so far.

“Because of what I learned from my friend; I went into the interview prepared and my applications were accompanied by the right qualification and experience. I’m still pinching myself; I cannot believe how far I have come. I knew that there would be growth when I started out as a consultant, but I never imagined that I would make it this far – and for that, I am always thankful”.

Mateboho, like many people in the call centre went in with her matric in the hopes to secure a job and make a living out of it. But once she was in, she realised how difficult movement could become if she does not map out a plan for herself on what her next steps should be and how she will get there. One of the biggest and most important investments Mateboho made in herself, was to pursue a formal qualification whilst in the contact centre and obtained her BCom IT degree. This came after realising that a qualification has become one of the most important requirements for jobs if one truly wants to stand a chance.

When asked what advice she would give to anyone looking to make it in the corporate world, Mateboho emphasised the importance of personal branding. She says it involves building a reputation on the things you want to be known for, and then living up to them no matter what.

Years later, Mateboho still believes that her core purpose has always been helping people. She says she finds joy in seeing them find themselves and become the best version of themselves. And although she didn’t pursue social work, she has found her true passion in life coaching as she enjoys guiding people as they move from one point to the next. It is without a doubt that Mateboho managed to kill two birds with one stone, given that she managed to acquire a qualification needed for her growth, whilst doing a job she has always had passion for – which is helping people.

Mateboho’s journey just goes to show how far hard work, determination, and planning can take you. It is also proof that somehow, we do live up to our names one way or the other. After so many years of living off her matric and a contact centre job, the change could only be realised by the person themselves as well as the investment needed to carry out one’s dream and purpose.