The Basotho Blanket That Showed Me I Was Enough

What a Seanamarena taught me about leadership, limiting beliefs and the impact we may never fully see

Recently, I received one of the most meaningful gifts I have ever been given: a Seanamarena, known as the royal crown jewel of the Basotho heritage blankets.

It was given to me by someone who had reported to me during my corporate career. As she gave me this beautiful gift, she told me that it was a testament to my leadership and a symbol of my power.

I was deeply moved, but her words also made me pause.

Because the power she was describing did not come from my position, my title or the authority attached to my role. It came from the way I had made her feel. It came from leading with humanity, compassion and care.

It came from recognising that we are always human beings before we are job titles.

That moment caused me to reflect on something I have been exploring deeply in my own life and through my work: the beliefs we hold about ourselves are not always an accurate reflection of the impact we have on others.

The beliefs we carry silently

During much of my time in that corporate role, I held a very different view of myself.

In the midst of the pressure, complexity and challenges, I often believed that I was not enough. I questioned whether I mattered and whether my voice carried any real weight.

Looking back now, those beliefs may appear irrational. I had years of experience, knowledge and evidence that suggested otherwise. But that is the thing about limiting beliefs: they are not always logical.

They are often shaped by earlier experiences, old messages and the meaning we have attached to moments throughout our lives. Once established, they can quietly influence how we interpret what happens around us.

We may receive positive feedback but dismiss it.

We may make a difference but tell ourselves it was nothing.

We may have a seat at the table but still question whether we belong there.

Even when others recognise our value, our internal narrative may prevent us from seeing it ourselves.

We cannot always see the difference we are making

While I was questioning whether I mattered, this person was having a completely different experience of my leadership.

In her life, I was enough.

My voice had mattered.

The way I had led had made a meaningful difference, not only to her, but also to her family.

At her graduation, she explained that, within her culture, life is understood through the village rather than solely through the individual. When one person is supported, encouraged or given an opportunity, the impact extends beyond that individual. It reaches their family and their wider community.

That understanding made the gift even more significant.

It reminded me that we rarely have a complete view of our impact. We see our doubts, our mistakes and the moments when we believe we should have done more. Other people may see the conversation that gave them courage, the support that helped them continue or the person who believed in them when they were struggling to believe in themselves.

Sometimes, while we are busy questioning our worth, we are making a profound difference in someone else’s story.

Leadership is not a title

For many years, leadership was closely connected to my corporate identity. But this gift reminded me that a job title may give us authority; it does not automatically make us leaders.

Leadership is revealed in how we use that authority.

It is found in whether people feel heard in our presence.

It is found in the care we show when someone is struggling, the courage we create in others and the dignity with which we treat people, even when the environment is pressured and the decisions are difficult.

People may eventually forget our job title, our position in an organisational chart or the targets we delivered. But they often remember how we treated them. They remember whether we saw them only as an employee or whether we recognised the human being behind the role.

For me, that is where the real power of leadership lies.

Not in being the most important person in the room, but in helping others recognise their own importance.

Not in having all the answers, but in creating the safety for others to find their voice.

Not in building followers, but in strengthening people, families and, sometimes, entire villages.

Challenging the belief that we do not matter

The Seanamarena now represents more than a beautiful and culturally significant gift to me. It has become evidence, evidence I can return to when the old belief that I am not enough tries to make itself heard again.

Changing a limiting belief does not mean pretending that self-doubt will never return. It means learning to question it.

Is this belief true?

What evidence am I overlooking?

Whose life might I have touched without fully realising it?

What would change if I allowed myself to see my impact through someone else’s eyes?

Perhaps we need to become more willing to receive the things people tell us about the difference we have made. Not from a place of ego, but from a place of openness.

Their words may reveal a truth about us that our limiting beliefs have kept hidden.

A symbol of something much greater

When I look at this blanket, I will remember the person who gave it to me and the generosity and cultural significance behind her gift.

I will remember that power does not always look like status or authority. Sometimes, it looks like humanity. Sometimes, it is expressed through care, courage and the willingness to see another person fully.

Most importantly, I will remember that although I did not always feel like enough, in her life I was enough and the impact reached further than I knew.

What a flippen honour.

What a privilege.

And what a powerful reminder that we may never completely understand the difference we make simply by choosing to lead, and live, with humanity.

Nicky du Preez | Founder, Inner Reset Collective