inBUSINESS Issue 15

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today.”
It thus little wonder that his regard
for his parents is inestimable and that
he should ascribe a good amount
of his leadership style to them. Still
navigating memory lane with Botlhole
to explore his early life, he speaks
of his humble beginnings as having
had a significant bearing on how he
shaped out as a person. “I come from
a family of four boys and four girls,”
he says. “Both my mother and my
father played a pivotal role in bringing
out the best in me. In that way, I owe
them my leadership style.
“As I grew into my teens and late
childhood, I started to look up to my
older siblings. What I found and still
find very interesting is that as siblings,
though we were not the same age, we
always competed among ourselves.
That influenced and inspired us, each
and every one of us, to work hard. But
I must note that we were not really
high achievers. But work really hard
we did because our parents never
tired of instilling in us the importance
of acquiring a n
education
and selfdiscipline.”
Botlhole would later hone his
leadership skills at the University
of Pretoria’s Gordon’s Institute of
Business (GIBS) after completing his
bachelor’s degree at the University
of Botswana. “I think that the
turning point in my life came when I
enrolled for a leadership development
programme with the University of
Pretoria’s GIBS,” he notes.
“I believe they had a
profound influence on
the sort of leader that
I am today. I spent time
there eating, sleeping
and talking leadership.
Hence I think that
was the turning point
in my life. I am not
underplaying the fact
that university also
shaped me into the sort
of leader that I am, but
GIBS was like doubtless
the turning point.”
For one who had to be dragged
to school as a child, Botlhole’s
educational achievements are
phenomenal. He holds an
MSc in Strategic Management
f r o m the University of
Derby (2013 -
2014) and
www.inbusiness.co.bw | Issue 15 | 2017
underwent training at PPC Academy
(2007 - 2008) and the Cement and
Concrete Institute of South Africa
(2006).
Prior to joining PPC, Botlhole
worked for Metro Sefalana in various
capacities, including as Branch
Manager at a number of stores and
Regional Buyer based at the Gaborone
office. Although this was not a position
at the pinnacle of the organisation, it
is where he tested his leadership skills.
“After reading all those books on
leadership and strategies of leadership,
it is quite funny that when you get to
the world of work and you try to apply
what you learned at school, you find it
is two different things. The classroom
and world of work are completely
different.”
In his experience, the gap is so
wide that he speaks of going through
a period of frustration before finally
finding his feet. “I went through a
lot of tests,” Botlhole says. “At some
point I wanted to quit because I was
frustrated. That was not what I had
spent all those years at school for! But
it is through these trying moments that
I learned that leadership also requires
patience. You need to understand
what people really want by putting
yourself in their shoes. But at the end
of the day, you have to make the final
decision as the leader. So I learned as
I worked that when you work with
people and are suddenly in a position
of leadership, they will test you. But it
is through these tests that you actually
grow and become a better person.”
As General Manager of PPC today,
Botlhole has intimate knowledge of
the company and how it operates,
seeing as how he has spent the past
12 years there. “From my personal
experience, I have learned that
leadership requires patience and
dedication,” he explains. “You need
to go in and learn the rules of the
trade. It is difficult for one to become
a leader if one doesn’t understand
exactly what is going on. As a leader,
you don’t necessarily have to be doing
the work but you have to understand
what people are doing. That way, when
you ascend to a leadership position,
you will understand exactly what the
requirements are.”