Hollard Life: Men in Purple

If my team members do not know something about insurance, it is not because I withheld the information but because I don’t know It,” Modiri Phuthego. A veteran in the insurance indus- try, Modiri Phuthego, Development Manager at Hollard life oozes with astounding confidence as he expounds his vision and desire to build leaders and industry professionals of a higher pluck than himself. To build his dream future team, Phuthego says he draws from his deep treasure of experience, and knowledge to capacitate members of his team to dare dream big to function optimally in the industry. “I lead and guide my team in a way that will help them perform according to my expectation. I impart knowledge of the industry and guide them with empathy. If my team members do not know something about insurance, it is not because I withheld the informa- tion but because I don’t know it,” says Phuthego. To necessitate the efficiency of the team, Phuthego says he grooms his team members to have full grasp to the products on offer and how they can market them with energy and conviction. “I am a skilled marketer and I ac- knowledge it as my strength; as a leader, I expect my team members to exceed my level and be able to speak with anyone without fear or intimidation. To achieve this, I emphasize to my team to make it their business to fully understand the business they are in and the products on offer. When one understands the products fully as well as what the business wants and the mind is aligned to the packages, he or she is empowered to go out and talk about the company and its services with renewed energy and confidence,” says Phuthego.

Modiri Phuthego

Nurturing cutting-edge insurance industry leaders

Delegation is one crucial element Phuthego employs in nurturing the leadership prowess of his team. He says he came to understand this through his distinguished career that through delegation, he is able to raise individuals above their limitations. He says by delegating responsibilities to his team members, a leader is able to help his juniors take challenges of their next possible positions as well as break free from their comfort zones. While ensuring that he imparts knowledge to his co-workers, Phuthe- go highlights that it is imperative for a leader not to assume the Know it all attitude. “As a leader, you cannot mold quality leaders by assuming that you know it all. You must accept that some of your team mates are smarter than you, educated than you and probably more exposed than you. Accept that some of your team members may be more techno savvy than you. So, when you cultivate an attitude of listening to your juniors, you are likely to create an atmosphere whereby they are more willing to learn from you too,” says

Phuthego. In order to be in sync with a team, the versatile insurer says a leader need to work on his emotional intelligence. He notes that emotional intelligence will help a person to assimilate in an organisational culture, not disturb it yet able to influence it positively. “Emotional Intelligence has crucial contribution to the life of a leader. It helps you excel in the business community and society. It boosts your capacity in building a motivated team that will bring positive results and achieve organisational goals,’ says Phuthego, “It helps you look at things with the right perspective as well as bring balance to situations which would otherwise have been unfruitful without it.” He says a leader with a well cultivated emotional intelligence is able to balance sustainable business growth and profitability while at the same time ensuring that the needs of the employs are well taken care of. A father of three, two boys and a girl, Modiri Phuthego joined the insurance industry in 1989 as an underwriting clerk. He has served in dif- ferent companies in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Some of the companies he has worked with Include; BIC and Metropolitan Botswana. Throughout his illustrious career, he has served as a branch supervisor, Head of Sales and Branch Manager. Following a head hunt, he joined Hollard in 2012 as the Head of Retail. He was instrumental in the company’s formative years and was given the designation of Acting Chief Executive Officer, a position he held for two years. make strides in the industry Mostly. He believes in the power of motivation; however, he is quick to point out that the best of motivation is the one that comes from within at the point of challenge. Recently, we had a chat with him and here is our conversation.

Kudzani Mbako Ketlhaotswe is one of the Insurance Musketeers at Hollard Life Botswana who is intentional to

Strides: Briefly, introduce us to yourself?

Ketlhaotswe: Kudzani Mbako Ketl- haotswe is my name and known to many as Mbako, a renowned and articulate business development enthusiast. Mar- ried to an adorable wife with 3 loving and hyper boys and a first born of 3 (two boys and a sister). I come from a village in the Central District, approximately 110km from Francistown by the name of Mosetse aka Mosvil. I am an alumnus of the North West University, having graduated with a BSc. Agricultural Economics. Also a Certified Change Management Practitioner, through APMG International. I have worked with various organisations and government departments whilst a Consultant with a prominent Business Management Consultancy, Service Bridges Consulting (SBC). Post SBC, I joined the insurance industry and have been at it for over 10 years. My current position is Retail Sales Manager with Hollard Life Botswana.

Strides: What inspired you to pursue a career insurance?

Ketlhaotswe: Like most youngsters, it was all in the name of “greener pas- tures” but a couple of months down the line, the tables had turned, I appreciated that having joined the insurance indus- try, Life Insurance in particular, was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. The industry resonates well with one of purposes in life which is to “value people and extend a helping hand to those in need at a time of need.” With life insurance, the objective is not about the here and now, but about the future. Life insurance unlike other industries, is a promise that we will be there for

you in your time of need. We will either be there for you during the loss of your loved one or we will be there for your loved ones upon your demise. It is for this reason that I am indivisible from the life insurance industry.

Strides: Tell us about your experience at Hollard and how has it helped you achieve your goals so far and what can you say is your milestone in your present job?

Ketlhaotswe: For over 10 years whilst in the Insurance industry, my focus has been on the support functions, from Learning and Development to Opera- tions to Human Resources Management, and it had been my wish to venture into life insurance advice space. Hollard has accorded me an opportunity to come out of the eclipse and be better placed to put into practice the strategies I have been crafting for the next person to implement. Being in charge of the Retail Sales unit accords me the opportunity to enhance my relationship building skills, particularly with my Broker Partners. As Hollardites say it, “we don’t take ourselves seriously, but what we do seri- ously,” Hollard’s culture enabled me to get out of my cocoon and better express my strategies without fear or prejudice.

Strides: How do you keep yourself mo- tivated when faced with a seemingly tough assignment?

Ketlhaotswe: Motivation has to be intrinsic and coming from other people should be a bonus. Self-motivation pushes one to the next level of growth. The truth of the matter is, 90% of the time we deliver on tasks without the knowledge of our colleagues and/or principals but ourselves alone. It is in such instance where I get off my chair, raise my right hand and give myself a pat on the back with a well done message. Only I have the knowledge of how much work I have put and subsequently how much motivation I require in any given day. Furthermore, if I was to wait for someone to give me a word of encour- agement, I don’t know how long I would have to wait and, in the meantime, it would mean that I get demoralized with each day that comes by. Last but not least, I am motivated by the gentlemen whom I have temporarily housed, who are notorious for hiding my remote yet they don’t pay rent nor contribute for groceries and further expect to be paid for house hold chores. Above all, my small family keeps me on my toes, they are the reason I wake up every morning.

Kudzani Mbako Ketlhaotswe

Intrinsic motivation certifies growth and warrants fulfillment of one’s purpose

Strides: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? Ketlhaotswe: I hope my superior doesn’t get to see this article...... Better yet, I hope she does and hopefully her superior doesn’t get to read it. It has always been my plan to stay at an organization nor single position for no more than 5 years hence I find this as an interesting question. I will be short and to the point, In the next 5 years I would have worked my current principal up to her next better position and have assumed my position in the Hollard Exco Team as Head of Distribution.

Building strategic relationships for business success

As Key Account Manager at Hollard Life-Distribution Unit, Richard Keabetswe Masoko is vibrant and energetic. Complementary to his vast experience in the industry and elsewhere, he has a strong drive to achieve and succeed in business development objectives. Being one of the insurance marketing musketeers at Hollard, Masoko says through experience, he has learned the power of achieving success through building strategic and sustainable relationships. “I have 13 years’ worth of experience in the insur- ance industry across different levels. I am an energetic achiever who succeeds in business development objectives set for the organization, I am a marketer vastly experienced in building relationships with key decision makers across all levels. I have worked with so many industries to bring change into them at both corporate and individual levels,” says Masoko. To build rapport and establish relationships that results in equitable business deals, Masoko notes that he had to cultivate personal qualities that includes trustworthiness, honesty and discipline. Having achieved outstanding sales by building sustainable business relationships, Masoko is quick to point out that the journey has not been a walk in the park. “It’s exciting to achieve your goals or make great sales; however, it is more exciting when you reflect on the challenges you had to overcome in acquiring it,” says Masoko, adding, “The experiences and challenges revealed my other quality which is tenacity as opposed to just highlighting an easy sale. That gave me the motivation to have a firm grip on subsequent opportunities that came through.” In addition to making progress especially in the wake of the COVID-19, Masoko indicates that he has gleaned great leadership lessons especially in how Hollard responded to the pandemic. “Hollard is good company to work for. The COVID-19 pandemic was a serious company test. It is one of the outstanding and inspiring companies that reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic with genuine compassion. It met the challenges with creativity, heart and kindness,” he says. Looking to the future, Masoko is optimistic for positive change after the devastating impact of the COVID-!9 pandemic. “The covid 19 pandemic and economic fallout radically affected the insurance industry. The expectation is to see a change as most countries including Botswana have come with rigorous plans to roll out vaccines to the people. This will reduce the mortality rates and fuel economic activities across all industries,” says Masoko. Keabetswe Masoko is married and blessed with 2 beautiful daughters. Prior to joining the purple team, he was the Corporate Business Manager at Metropolitan Life where he also served as a Corporate Relationship Manager. He was a Group Schemes Manager at Stanbic Bank Botswana after several stints in other industries.

OloratoMbi

Adaptable and open to collaboration

In the insurance industry by inspiration from his mentor, Olorato Mbi, a Sales Analyst at Hollard Life-Distribution is not just aware of the dynamic business demands his role requires him to meet but also intentional to deliver excellent service to customers. Anchoring on strong belief to achieve his obligations by knowledge, experience and intuition, Mbi says he acknowl- edges the power of team work to augment his abilities. “I work in an organization that engrains its values known as the ‘Hollard Way’ in its employees. One of those values is “Deliver for Customers & Partners” which is a tool I use to remind myself and my colleagues that whatever is done should always have the customer’s best interests at heart,” says Mbi, adding, “sometimes I face challenges related to the dynamic business needs of my role but I overcome them by choosing to be flexible and adaptable. I am willing to collaborate with other teams to ensure that I meet my obligations.” Team work aside, Mbi has committed himself to take the extra mile in order to obtain the information he needs to achieve success in his work as well as his obligations to management. “My work environment demands great responsibility. As such, I am poised to quickly learn on how I can offer opti- mum service. I achieve this by gathering information from various departments and optimising it to generate reports that empower management to make informed decisions. I have sharpened my Emotional Intelligence and communi- cation skills. This, I believe is what landed me a seat on the management committee and I am glad that Hollard Life is a company that is open to ideas regardless of age, which is very fulfilling,” says Mbi. Having made strides in the insurance industry, Mbi believes there is more that insurance companies can do especially in empowering customers make informed decision through Financial Literacy. He says customers who make informed decisions have their expectations in order and not likely to lose faith in the industry. “The insurance industry has a tremendous responsibility to educate its clients and the whole value chain on the products it offers, and how they work to ensure everybody is on the same page and can decide which products are best suited to them. I aspire to make insurance products ubiquitous where people are financially literate and can make informed decisions about their money and how to mitigate risks relating to their loved ones and assets. I also, would like to make interacting with insurance seamless and automated where the uptake of products can happen anywhere and at any time of the day,” says Mbi. Olorato Mbi was born and raised by a single mother in Gaborone. After completing his Senior Secondary, he was awarded a scholarship to study in Wales, UK, where he completed a 2-year post-secondary diploma known as the International Baccalaureate (IB). Thereafter, he received another scholarship to study at Methodist Uni- versity (MU), North Carolina, USA. At MU, he majored in Accounting, had a double minor in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration. While in the US, he landed two internship opportu- nities first as an Accounting and Finance intern after his first year for a real-estate firm in New York City. After his third year he interned at Estée Lauder Companies in the Global Strategic Pricing division. He graduated in May of 2016 as the Valedictorian of his class and was blessed with job at a Private Equity Administration firm in New York City as an Associate Fund Accountant. In 2017, Mbi returned to Botswana. He joined Stanford Seed, a leadership development programme funded by De Beers and developed by Stanford Univer- sity before starting his tenure in the insurance industry.