by Thato Mokhothu
I consider myself very lucky to be in business school and interacting with some of the most talented and hardworking individuals I have ever met. I’ll tell you why. Out of hundreds of applications someone or some people in charge of admissions chose me and gave me an opportunity. There might have been other applicants who were more knowledgeable and experienced but they did not make it. Adding to that, it is probable that someone out there with enormous intelligence and potential chose not to even apply because of financial constraints.
I saw a video clip at a leadership coaching workshop where a highly successful black woman chief executive officer of personal and business banking at Standard Bank South Africa, Funeka Montjane, spoke about the role that luck played in her journey towards success. This immediately grabbed my attention. It is not every day that a successful person attributes their success to luck. On the contrary, unless you come across someone with exceptional levels of humility, people who are regarded highly in society often talk about their hard work and determination as primary reasons for their achievements.
This particular lady sees it differently. She narrates a story of how she was given an opportunity of a lifetime to become partner at an accounting firm at the tender age of 27. According to her, there were many experienced people who were more deserving of the position. Hers was an affirmative action appointment but she grabbed the opportunity that immediately accelerated and indeed elevated her career to great heights. She may have been fairly ill-prepared to be called for such a responsibility at the time but she cemented her position by stepping up to the challenge and performing with excellence.
Because she is well aware of her luck and the role played by her predecessors who fought for doors to be opened for black women like her, she is passionate and dedicated towards the development of young people through mentorship. I am thoroughly encouraged by this story because of how an individual of such great esteem just gets it. She fully comprehends that she represents the people who never got the opportunity to realize certain positions by virtue of not looking a certain way as well as those who are spatially, biologically and/or financially disenfranchised.
It is refreshing to hear someone speak with such brutal honesty about their journey. Social media is overpopulated with half-baked stories about people’s experiences. Many people choose to magnify their talent, goal oriented personas and all manner of reasons that portray them as near perfect beings whose success is a direct result of their unwavering actions. Even further debilitating, there are reported stories of billionaires young and old, who are described as “self-made.”
Talent and capabilities do play a pivotal role in one’s success, but being at the right place at the right time plays an even bigger role. For most people, unless someone gives you the right opportunity that can place you on the right path for greatness it will be very difficult to reach the top. Let’s not forget that other people play with the opportunities that they are given. Some even come from great families with enormous economic privilege and yet they fail to run with it.
The tricky part in all of this is that there are only a few places at the top therefore not everyone can have a seat at the table. Perhaps more people need to understand and internalize that it could have been someone else occupying their privileged positions in society. Maybe that is the key to us being a little less obsessed with ourselves and a bit more compassionate about others.
Thato Mokhothu-Ramohlanka is the founding director of MR Consulting which offers legal and management consulting services to SMMEs. She graduated with degrees in Psychology, Sociology, Marketing Management and Law from the University of Cape Town and the National University of Lesotho. Thato is a member of the Global Shapers (Maseru Hub), a global non profit organization founded by the world economic forum that seeks to uplift the youth through various educational projects. She is passionate about young people and uses her writing to uplift and motivate them through their various challenges.
More articles by Thato
