LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Pinnalead, a leadership development organization coaching the next generation of business leaders in Botswana
Lorato Mosetlhanyane is a renowned Professional Certified Coach and the founder of Pinnalead in Botswana. Prior to forming her business in 2013, she worked in the corporate world as a Chartered Accountant in different capacities for over 17 years. She left her formal employment at the position of Chief Finance Officer for a leading Life Insurance Company in Botswana, having contributed to its growth and success. The writings of John Maxwell awakened a passion in her that saw her embarking on a completely new journey and certifying as a John Maxwell Certified Coach, after five years of continuous mentoring by the internationally acclaimed leadership guru, John C Maxwell.
Since 2013 practicing as a full time Coach, Trainer and Speaker, Lorato Mosetlhanyane has coached and trained both the young and mature leaders, locally and internationally. She has facilitated several interventions for corporates as well as individuals (leaders in their own right) from diverse industries. having successfully completed the Professional Coaching Course (PCC) and the Associate Coaching Course (ACC) through the Centre for Coaching, in partnership with the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town and New Ventures West (NVW) based in San Francisco. Coach, as she is affectionately called is a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) graduate from the University of Botswana and a chartered member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA). She also holds a master's degree in business administration (MBA) from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom. Lorato has two beautiful children, a girl called Rona and a boy named Rotlhe. This year she has been recognized and awarded as one of the 100 Africa Most Influential persons by the Business Executive Group in Zimbabwe. She currently serves as the Chairman of the Access Bank of Botswana Board of Directors.
Lioness Weekender spoke to Lorato Mosetlhanyane about her entrepreneurial journey and her passion for coaching and human capital development.
What does your company do?
Pinnalead offers leadership training and human capital development. Our services among others includes: Leadership training and Assessments; Executive Coaching (Group and one on one integral Coaching); Team Building & Team Effectiveness Workshops; Emotional Intelligence; and Change Management.
What inspired you to start your company?
After obtaining my ACCA I was promoted to a managerial position, and it didn’t take me long to realize that I didn’t know how to lead. I started looking for programs to help grow myself into a better leader. In 2009 I bumped into John C Maxwell and started following him. After continuously following the leadership guru, my passion for leadership grew and that’s where Pinnalead was born. Aft working as a Chartered Accountant for 17 years. Pinnalead comes from two English words, Pinnacle and Leadership. Pinnacle because of our association with the number of most influential leadership and Leadership because we are all about leadership. The company was meant to help professionals to grow into effective leaders.
What makes your business, service or product special?
What really sets Pinnalead apart from other leadership development organizations is because we focus on the application of the leadership principles we teach and not just on imparting knowledge. We do not just sell our products as off-the-shelf programs; we take time to understand our client’s needs and put together a solution that meets their needs. That way, it’s easy to see the impact as opposed to pushing what we have down our clients. We follow process-based teaching and except for motivational and keynote speaking engagements, we embark on a journey with our clients and never do a once off intervention.
Additionally, we are well trained and highly experienced Coaches and Trainers: We use well experienced Coaches & Trainers who have led in their own respective fields who draw from their wealth of wisdom and teach from real life experiences and stories, and not just rely on textbook theories. These are people who can say they have been there and done that, so they bring a wealth of experience to every session. Finally, we use a masterminding Training methodology which is a learning methodology that brings like-minded people together to grow towards a common purpose. Masterminding directs the attention of learners on the application of leadership principles learnt and does not just focus on the acquiring of knowledge.
Tell us a little about your team
My team is composed of diverse individuals who bring a variety of skills and perspectives on the table. We focus on continuous learning where everyone feels empowered to grow, hence creating a cohesive and innovative environment.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My curiosity transitioned me from my accounting job to a leadership Coach, Trainer and Speaker. Several years before I left the corporate world, I did a master's program that included personality assessment. When I got my report, which was a true mirror of who I was at the time, I wanted to understand who really Coach Lorato was. After that leadership program, I went back and Integral coaching and my interest in it grew. When John Maxwell introduced his certification program, I jumped on board as it was along what I was doing.
I have a strong entrepreneurial background, my parents ran a small business, where they owned a shop in my home village Mmadinare, and I served as a financial analyst, managing and analyzing the accounting functions of Mr. Maano`s shop, and that ignited the entrepreneurial spirit in me. I have always wanted to retire at the age of 40 and start my own business and that's exactly what transpired, in 2013 I left my corporate career to start Pinnalead.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
The goal is to continue investing in learning, encourage ongoing professional development for myself and the team to adapt to changing markets. I envision fostering an innovation and creativity -focused culture within the organization to experiment and think outside the box as we navigate industry changes that will impact more leaders and create capacity to meet the growing needs of our market.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being a leadership Coach allows me to be myself and enjoy every moment of it.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Starting a business can be an empowering journey and the first step is defining your vision and clearly articulating your goals and plans. They should choose businesses ideas that align with their natural gifting's and skills. They should equip themselves and compete based on their capabilities and not based on gender. I believe leadership is about impact and accountability and I believe that’s what women should focus on to break the gender barrier.
To find out more about the work of Pinnalead, contact Lorato Mosetlhanyane via email:
loratomosetlhanyane@pinnalead.com or visit the company’s website and social media platforms
Website: http://pinnalead.com
Facebook: http://web.facebook.com/PinnaLead
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pinnalead
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/pinnalead
