Hermence Matsotsa uBuntuSpeaks

09/16/2026

“Sometimes the most important thing a leader needs to hear is what the room has learned not to say.”

That idea sits at the heart of Edition #3 of The Human Side of Excellence. In the last edition, I explored earned trust and vulnerability. This time, I am taking the conversation one step further:

Trust gets people to speak. Listening determines whether they speak again. We often tell employees, “My door is always open,” “Tell me what you think,” or “I want honest feedback.” But what happens when someone actually takes us up on that invitation?

In this edition, I explore the difference between hearing and listening, the role of Cultural Intelligence, how our own internal reactions can get in the way, and five practical ways leaders can start listening differently.

I also ask one question that may be worth sitting with:
When was the last time something an employee, colleague, or team member told you actually changed your mind?

I invite you to read Edition #3 and join the conversation.

If you are on LinkedIn and have already subscribed, thank you for being part of this growing community. If you are new to The Human Side of Excellence, I hope you will read, subscribe, and join us for the conversations ahead.

👉🏾 Read. Reflect. Join the conversation. Subscribe.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trust-gets-people-speak-listening-determines-whether-again-matsotsa-xuyqe

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The Human Side of Excellence explores what it takes to lead people, bridge cultures, and elevate performance in today’s rapidly changing workplace, with the people who do the work at the center. It offers practical insights and meaningful conversations on leadership development, mental fitness, Cultural Intelligence, psychological safety, global teams, organizational culture, and human performance.

Trust may give people the courage to speak, but listening determines whether they will speak again. In the last edition of The Human Side of Excellence, I explored earned trust and vulnerability.

09/07/2026

Friday, Soleil reminded me that she didn't have school on Monday (today) because of Labor Day. Then she asked me why, exactly, people celebrate Labor Day.

I told her the history, but it didn’t satisfy her. I asked what she thought, and she said, ‘Because people work too much and get stressed out.’ Then she asked: ‘Why doesn’t everyone get the day off? Why are grocery stores still open?’ She had a point.

In my travels, I’ve seen work as both survival and pride. Here in the U.S., the working poor, including many African Americans, people of color, and immigrants, are often the backbone of what is seen as "essential labor", keeping things running while others rest.

While many people get a break today, services like healthcare, public safety, or grocery stores keep going so communities can function. It’s a reminder: behind every day off, someone is working.

Let’s honor not just rest, but the cultural diversity and resilience behind all labor.

How can we ensure every worker is celebrated?"

08/02/2026

It's Sunday.

For some, today is filled with rest, family, and the comfort of knowing tomorrow is a fresh start.

For others, the thought of Monday has already started to steal today's peace.

Not because they don't enjoy the work they do.

But because somewhere along the way, work became a place where they learned to edit themselves.

To think twice before speaking.

To hide their struggles.

To soften their opinions.

To shrink parts of who they are just to fit the culture around them.

I often wonder how much talent, creativity, innovation, and humanity we lose, not because people lack potential, but because they don't feel safe enough to bring their whole selves to work.

Imagine if Monday wasn't something people had to emotionally prepare themselves to survive.

Imagine if it became a place where they could simply show up as themselves.

That is the kind of workplace worth building.

As you think about the week ahead, what is one thing leaders can do to make Monday feel a little less heavy for the people they lead?

07/30/2026

Have you ever been in a workplace conversation where people were present, but not fully engaged?

Where the meeting happened, but the real conversation never did?

That is exactly why I created the uBuntu Power Hour Experience.

These 60-minute facilitated conversations are designed for EBRGs, Employee Networks, leaders, and workplace communities ready to strengthen trust, communication, connection, resilience, and culture.

Rooted in UBUNTU, “I am because we are,” Power Hours help people feel seen, heard, and re-engaged to lead, connect, and contribute with greater intention.

This is not another meeting.

It is a space for the conversations your people may need most right now.

Explore the Power Hour Experiences and find the session that meets your moment: https://powerhour.ubuntuworkforce.com/

What conversation would create the greatest impact inside your team, EBRG, or organization right now?

07/21/2026

Traveling throughout France, I find myself surrounded by timeless artifacts and relics standing tall in castles, church cathedrals, and museums.

As I walk throughout these museums, I often slow down to study the figures carved in marble centuries ago.

I notice the strength in their posture. The movement captured in their garments. The objects placed carefully in their hands and at their feet. Every detail seems to tell us something about who they were, what they represented, and how they wanted to be remembered.

And as I walked through the Louvre, I began to wonder: If someone had to capture my life in marble, what would the final statue look like?**

Would it show a woman standing powerfully because she had never been afraid?

No.

I hope it would show a woman who learned to keep moving even when fear, doubt, loss, and uncertainty walked beside her.

Would it show someone holding a globe because she wanted to conquer the world?

No.

I hope the globe would represent a life shaped across countries, cultures, communities, and conversations, and my deep belief that our differences do not have to divide us. They can become bridges to greater understanding.

Perhaps there would be books at my feet, representing all that I have learned, taught, questioned, and had to unlearn.

There would be a compass because so much of my work involves helping leaders find their way back to what matters when pressure, expectations, and their own Saboteurs pull them away from themselves.

There would be people standing beneath an Ubuntu tree because nothing meaningful I have accomplished was accomplished alone.

I am because we are.

And in my hands, perhaps there would be a scroll bearing the words that have guided my life and the work of uBuntuSpeaks:

Connect. Transform. Lead.

I do not simply want to develop more successful leaders.

I want to help develop leaders who understand that how they make people feel matters.

Leaders who bridge cultural differences with humility and curiosity.

Leaders who create trust, psychological safety, belonging, and the conditions for others to rise.

Leaders who are courageous enough to examine themselves before judging those they lead.

Leaders who remember that humanity is not something we leave at the door when we enter the workplace.

As I imagined this statue, I realized that being remembered is not about becoming larger than life.

It is about leaving something meaningful within the lives of others.

I want to be remembered for the leaders I empowered.

For the cultures I helped bridge.

For the difficult conversations I helped make possible.

For the people who rediscovered their voice, courage, or sense of possibility because of a space I helped create.

I want my work to be timeless, not because my name was carved into stone, but because its impact continued through the people I served.

Because somewhere, a leader chose curiosity instead of judgment.
Compassion instead of indifference.
Courage instead of avoidance.
Humanity instead of hierarchy.
Perhaps that is the truest form of legacy.

Not a statue that remains standing forever, but values that continue walking through the world long after we are gone.

Empowering Leaders.
Bridging Cultures.
Honoring the Best of Humanity.**

That is what I do.
That is why I do it.
And that is how I hope to be remembered.

If your life and leadership were captured in marble, what would your statue reveal about the legacy you are building?

07/14/2026

Today, on France’s Fête Nationale, I stood with my 10 year old daughter along a narrow mountain road near my mother’s farm in Canhac, in central region of France waiting to witness the cyclists of the Tour de France.

The heat was intense. The road was crowded. Fans stood shoulder to shoulder on both sides, filled with excitement and anticipation.

And then they came.

In a matter of moments, the cyclists flew past us—after hours of riding through steep climbs, unforgiving heat, physical pain, mental pressure, and exhaustion most of us can only imagine.

As I watched them, I felt deeply moved.

I thought about what it must take to keep pedaling when every muscle is burning. To remain focused while surrounded by noise, droves of cheering spectators, narrow mountain roads, and constant risk. To continue cycling for nearly six hours when the mind may be begging the body to stop.

That kind of perseverance requires far more than physical strength.

It requires mental fitness.

It requires the ability to quiet the Judge that says, “You are not doing enough.”
The Hyper-Achiever that says, “You must keep proving yourself.”
The Hyper-Vigilant that warns, “Something could go wrong.”
And the Restless Saboteur that wants to escape the discomfort of the present moment.

Instead, they must return again and again to the Sage.

One breath.
One turn.
One climb.
One pedal stroke at a time.

There was something else incredibly powerful about this experience. The Tour de France is one of the world’s greatest global sporting events, yet it takes place across the towns, villages, countryside, and mountains of France—and remains freely accessible to the public along its route.

No stadium ticket was required.

People of all ages and backgrounds simply gathered along the roadside, united by anticipation, admiration, and shared human connection. For a brief moment, the narrow road became a place of community, belonging, and collective celebration.

Watching the cyclists reminded me that perseverance is not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it is simply the decision to keep going when no one can truly see how hard the journey feels inside.

It is choosing courage over doubt.
Presence over panic.
Purpose over pain.

Today, I did not simply witness the Tour de France.

I witnessed resilience.
I witnessed community.
I witnessed mental fitness.
And I witnessed the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.

In life and leadership, we may not control the heat, the hills, the pressure, the crowds, or the road ahead—but we can choose how we meet the moment.

Where in your life are you being called to keep pedaling?

07/14/2026

04/13/2026

Greetings Sis! 🖤

I’m speaking at a FREE virtual panel this Wednesday, and I want you there with me.

The Game Nobody Gave Us — Episode 1
Hostile Environments Are Killing Us

We are finally having the real conversation about what these toxic work environments are doing to our bodies, our minds, and our careers.

📅 Wednesday April 15th | 6PM CT
💻 Free on Zoom

🎁 One lucky attendee wins a FREE 90-minute career strategy coaching session.

Register here 👇🏾
https://www.aliyahsintelligence.com/the-game-nobody-gave-us

Drop this in every group chat you have. Forward it to every Black woman in your phone who needs this conversation. Let’s fill this room.

Once you register, an email with the meeting notice is sent to you!

See you on Wednesday! ✊🏾