We speak to Nokuthula Mkhize, Yaseen Limbada and Motlalepule Khalo, MiWayLife employees, on how they managed to work their way up the corporate ladder within the company.

What does your current position entail?

Yaseen: My role is to ensure that the entire quality assurance team meets their service level agreements, that the team is reporting for duty on time, and making sure that all the work that is produced from the Quality Assurance(Q.A) department is of a high standard.

What position did you hold when you started at MiWayLife?

Yaseen: Quality Assurance Evaluator.

Did you always aim to grow professionally?

Yaseen: Yes.

What drove you to reach a higher position?

Yaseen: The monotony of doing the same job for a very long time. I required some sort of job satisfaction and I needed to help people become the best version of themselves. I needed to see people grow and I wanted to be part of that development. 

What was your biggest challenge in achieving your goal?

Yaseen: The biggest challenge was to learn how to interact with people, understanding different personalities and the best approach to use with each of them.

Could you share some of the steps you took to reach your goal?

Yaseen: Consistency is key. Do all your work correctly and always be willing to assist when and where needed. Remain positive regardless of the situation. It is important to get feedback and constructive criticism and use that feedback to improve yourself. Always be a team player and apply for available positions that interest you and can aid in your growth.

Do you have any plans for the future?

Yaseen: Yes, I would like to open my own company.

What does a Learning Facilitator do?

Motlalepule: My job is to essentially equip all new and existing staff on a range of skills and to conduct assessments to see if they are fit to carry out their jobs. We are always developing new material to make us (the company) more efficient and to ensure that we produce quality work on all levels.

What position did you hold before when you started at MiWayLife?

Motlalepule: I was a Q.A (Quality Assurance) Consultant then I was promoted to a Q.A coach.

What drove you to reach a higher position?

Motlalepule: I was an expert with Q.A but I didn’t want to become complacent in one role, I needed to excel in another role to ensure I did not stagnate and to also challenge myself.

What was your biggest challenge in achieving your goal?

Motlalepule: I think my biggest challenge was the fact that I didn’t see my family enough because of the working hours. I had to work extra hard to get a role that didn’t require me to work long hours. My other biggest challenge was my attitude. I had to change my attitude in order to get where I wanted to be.

What steps did you put in place to achieve your position?

Motlalepule: I decided the best thing to do was to get myself involved wherever there was any training intervention or opportunity that became available. I think this showed management just how much I wanted this role.

What advice would you give to someone who is aiming for a promotion?

Motlalepule: Make yourself available in the particular department that you want to move to. Get yourself equipped with all the knowledge about that department and show how interested you are and determined to be in that department.

Do you have any future plans?

Motlalepule: My plan is to equip myself with all the knowledge available about being a Learning Facilitator. I also want to share my knowledge with anyone who wants to be a Learning Facilitator. This year I want to develop myself and study further to reach my next goal of becoming an Assessor, Moderator and eventually a Freelancer.

What do you do as a Client Services Team Leader?

Nokuthula: I always say in short, my role requires me to have processes in place and make sure processes are working for the department to run smoothly.

Previously, what position did you hold at MiWayLife?

Nokuthla: I was a HIV Administrator.

Did you always aim to climb the ladder within the workplace?

Nokuthula: I knew I wanted to grow within the company.

What drove you to reach for a higher position?

Nokuthula: I would say, my previous post wasn’t challenging enough, even though I loved it. I wanted to be challenged and get to experience other parts of the business.

What was your biggest challenge in reaching your goal?

Nokuthula: The biggest challenge was having to adjust from working alone to having people reporting directly to me. I had to overcome the fear of not being able to deliver.

What advice would you give to others looking to get promoted?

Nokuthula: Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Love your job.