Unexpected paths and the power of curiosity with Mamongae Mahlare

Sometimes taking a few unexpected turns in your career can bring you to the place that you most need to be. This is one of the many insights I gained during my chat with Mamongae Mahlare, Executive Chairperson of the Takealot Group, for the very first episode of my Willing & Abel podcast.

Mamongae is an executive with extensive experience building brands and businesses across 12 African countries. She is currently the Executive Chairperson of the Takealot Group, having moved into that position from the Group CEO role that she had held since 2021.

Mamongae grew up as a “simple girl in dusty Sekhukhuneland” to become a formidable woman in business, and a nation builder. She learned the value of having to do chores around the home from a young age (best appreciated in retrospect, perhaps!), and saw how her parents invested in their education, even if it didn’t mean an increase in salary at the time. Mamongae’s mother got her matric once she was already a parent, and completed her first and second degrees while raising kids and working.?

“You definitely have a deeper hunger when you have less, right?” Mamongae said during our conversation. “Because there's something you want to work yourself away from, and you also know what awaits you if you don't do anything about improving your livelihood. Sometimes we find that in trying to spare our children the things that we hated to do as kids, we forget the benefits of having to do those things.”

Mamongae convinced her parents to allow her to study to be a chemical engineer (without them ever having met one or even heard of one!) instead of the expected route for a bright student at the time – a teacher or a doctor. This turned out to be the springboard into a richly varied career, from a factory floor right up to the boardrooms where she presides today. So many people have their path set for them by their families or teachers, and might say there’s nothing wrong with having a very respected qualification that's going to guarantee a decent income and a long career. But Mamongae was still curious enough to wonder if she had a different path.

So how does an engineer end up as a CEO? It’s not about the “what”, but more about the “why” (as Simon Sinek famously said) and the “how”. Mamongae’s time at Harvard Business School in Boston taught her not about content, but rather how to learn through debate. How do you form a point of view, challenge another's point of view, and have your point of view challenged? How do you take on new information and build on it to solve problems? Why do you think the way you do? And can you really listen?

This idea really resonated with me: the importance of engaging more deliberately with people who have a different point of view from you – something one of my other podcast guests, Songezo Zibi, also mentioned when we chatted. We have to test our reasoning behind why we hold a certain opinion. What are our blind spots? What are our biases? It can be uncomfortable, yes, but you always learn something. Even if it’s only about yourself.

Anyone who’s ever started a business will know how the experience forces you to get to know your strengths and weaknesses in deeper ways. In our country, what entrepreneurs have in their favour right now is the powerful e-commerce infrastructure that’s already in place and growing each day. Small and medium retail businesses can use the footprint of bigger platforms to get their brands to millions more customers around the country. And the benefits flow the other way, too, by democratising access to quality products. Anyone, whether they’re in Lusikisiki or Bantry Bay, can order the same goods at the same price.

So while we keep a keen eye on South Africa’s economy, our elections are, of course, looming large. I can’t wait to see if – and how – South Africa holds its leaders accountable. “We are also citizens,” Mamongae told me. “We're not victims. We’re participants in the reality that we see, and we need to have the courage to be more involved.”?

What I love is that Mamongae is not just calling for active citizenry in terms of “What can I do to make a difference”, but also: “How do I hold myself accountable for my own behaviour in that? And what am I prepared to do to see South Africa become the country I want it to be?” If you’re interested in how to be hopeful but realistic in South Africa and the world, and how to build a business in this uncertain world, listen to our whole conversation on my podcast. Also, tap the “Follow” or “Subscribe” button on the Willing & Abel profile on your favourite podcast platform to make sure you don't miss future episodes.

Season 1 of Willing & Abel Podcast is brought to you by M&C Saatchi Abel , a proudly South African award-winning creative company founded on the principle of Brutal Simplicity of Thought.