Analysis of a Visionary Leader-Charles Kali

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Today, he and his helpful traders actually do business together and their combined buying resources give them better rates/prices.

Negotiator: Kali was very good with negotiating deals as he successfully medediated negotiations like the following:

- Mediation between the Lesotho banks and their employees in 1993;

- Mediation between the Lesotho Telecommunications Corporation and striking employees in 1995

- Negotiating the purchase of government enterprises by the private sector;

- Negotiating with the Lesotho government for the Basotho people to be included in mainstream economy through fairer tender processes;

- Negotiating for micro-finance institutions to be recognized as players in the Lesotho economy.

Kali also negotiated with a lecturer at the University of Lesotho who travelled from far transport him and his goods for free every day.

Commitment/ Determination: Despite his poor background Kali never allowed them to shape his dreams. He was committed to the course of alleviating poverty not only for his family but also his community. He actually said “he kept reminding himself that he was not giving in to poverty, and no other person’s actions would make him poor either”. Due to this while educating himself he did all sort of work including construction work on roads and building, car washing, self-packing, deliveries to support himself and family believing very well that through education he would be able to make a difference in his country which he eventually did.

Willingness to Learn: He was always willing to learn new thing and he first educated himself because he believed it was through education that he could break from poverty. He even created avenues to learn by negotiated with a lecturer to help him carry goods and to repay him apart from giving him good, he used to invite him home for dinner. He did this because he wanted opportunities to engage in intellectual discussions with him. He know of the importance of saving so he also opened a bank account which provided him the opportunity to learn more about banking affairs that affected him and also developed relations with the advisors at the bank. This he also believed would benefit him, his businesses and his workers by saving their earnings and even getting access to credit facilities.

Hardworking: Even when he was in school he worked part-time to fulfill his family obligations by fending for them and making a contribution to the education of his siblings. This value is also manifested in the jobs he did to raise money for himself and family like construction work on roads and buildings, car-washing, clerical work, stock-taking, deliveries and shelf-packing. He also engaged in buying groceries and other items for re-sale to provide him with income for himself and family. When he established his business, his workers were also impacted with this value which made them give off their best as well.

Integrity: He is a man of his words and does what he says he will do. He was also honest in his dealings with his helpers and after he became successful he never forgot them but assist them to also operate their own businesses. Kali is well known to be fair, honest and principled with good character which enabled him to be assigned to train the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) staff in the entire Lesotho country.

Professionalism: From his education and upbringing he learned the skill of business which made his businesses successful. He was very good with business and this made him become a member of the internationally recognized Southern African Institute of Marketing Management (IMM), a non-profit professional organization that promotes excellence and professionalism in the practice of marketing and he also provided education and training in all aspects of marketing.

5. What "map" did the leader set forth for making change? This would include the meaning the change has for his people as well as the purpose for the change.

Kali wanted to change his lifestyle from poverty to having many, this he also wanted for his family, community and country. He also had a lifelong motivation to reframe the African attitude and perception from one of poverty to one of plenty. He first made sure to educate himself and engaged in business in order for him to have an impact in his family and fellow country members. Kali envisioned that he could also improve the lives of the people in Lesotho by developing them through education to enhance them with business skills for them to be able to work and set up their businesses.

He started impacting the change in his country by doing the following:

1. In order to educate them,

- He established a training and management consultancy, and a fashion design school where women are encouraged to take control of their own lives by acquiring marketable skills. He also established a business school that offered externally accredited marketing courses, computer skills and business studies which thousands of students pass through and many have gone on to hold high positions in corporations and others started their own enterprises.

- Due to his commitment to develop Lesotho and its people, his company Letsema Investment Holding was committed to developing its employees where they are embraced as partners and given shares in subsidiary companies in which they work so that they are both employees and shareholders. They are empowered and informed in all aspects of the demands of running a productive, efficient and sustainable business.

2. In order to encourage his people to engage in business and set up their own enterprises,

- In each village in which he was selling, he made deals with a young reasonably educated person to help him. The young person’s contribution and commitment had to be demonstrated by making up a trolley, using the pieces Kali supplied. The person would then meet him at the drop-off point, they would load the trolley and then Kali would leave them to sell the goods in the village, getting an agreed share of the proceeds.

- In his village he made his siblings help him and they gained their fair proceeds thus helping them to contribute to the family needs.

- To enable them take control of their finances, took many of his helpers to the bank and got them to open bank accounts. This he did to cultivate the