Exclusive Trusted Magazine Q&A with Priscilla Wellington , Director of Membership @Women in Tourism International Alliance
How could you describe your career path in a few words?
My career journey began over a decade from an excited intern with a passion and hunger to learn in the hospitality and tourism industry, It has been an exciting and a learning opportunity and still learning.
After a decade of working both in corporate, hospitality and tourism with the same mandate and passion to help hospitality businesses to position themselves strategically with customer service to create lasting experience for their guests and grow their revenue, is what gave me the push to acquire the knowledge and skills as a Certified Professional Trainer, Customer Service Expert from IAPPD (International Association of People’s Performance and Development), A certified NLP Practitioner in the hospitality & tourism industry and Corporate.
Author of Customer Service Devotional. An educational book launched in 2022; written to enlighten and coach those within the business community committed to championing customer service especially in the tourism and hospitality industry. I am the Membership Director and Board member of Women in Tourism International Alliance (WITIA), Australia. And the former Assistant Director of Marketing for WITIA, a hospitality consultant, tour operator, mystery shopper, trainer and coach. CEO of Customer Service Africa & Green trek tours.
My desire to see businesses thrive with customer service and positively grow our economy is the driving force of my career which has gotten me many nominations including this year’s Fortyunder40 Africa 2023 Nominee and 2014 Africa's most influential woman in business and governance finalist.
I have trained over a thousand professionals, lectured in various customer service boot camps and also delivered an amazing session on TEDxAccra 2016 by the British Council.
My business journey made me to become a strategic planner and a great team oriented individual able to influence, motivate and work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and culture to ensure any team I works with achieves results.
I have garnered the experiences within the industry over the years to become an expert in hotel front office management that maximizes returns/sales for hotels and organizations with extensive knowledge in organizing tours, handling hotel bookings and business Development. An entrepreneur with effective communication and excellent interpersonal skills, traits required for effective teamwork in all endeavors. Professionalism and a powerful Smile is a promise.
leadership and mentoring skills learned on the journey and Founded the Dream Big Project in 2015 to promote the SDG4 encouraging junior & senior high students to stay in school and dream beyond their status quo.
I have a bachelor of science in hospitality and tourism management from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA as my highest educational background.
A Diploma in Hotel, Restaurant & tourism management, certificate in SME and a certificate in personal finance from Grant Cardon University.
When you get surprised by unusual or uncertain context, what do you think?
When I am faced with unusual context which can be very challenging, I try my best to apply emotional intelligence and stay calm yet focused. Staying calm and prayerful helps me to stay present and be in solution mode rather than panic. I also seek for advice, learn from my experience and take action.
Based on your experience, what’s the key success factor for a female leader / manager?
From experiences garnered over a decade, I believe that these factors can help any female leader or manager to scale up into great success.
You must build confidence: This is very important especially in a gender biased and stereotypes environment. Your confidence will help you stay focused and believe in yourself and your abilities to not just do your work but deliver great success on the job
Communication skills: this will help you communicate effectively even when people try to put you down or shut your voice. Speak up and make your point without fear of stereotypes who may not understand what you do or just plain intimidated by your presence
Be resilient. This trait will help you bounce back no matter how many times you fall and overcome challenges and obstacles on your path to success.
Think strategically: plan and be specific and detailed about what you want to do and how you would do it, write down deadlines to achieve the plan and take action. Doing something daily on that plan till it is achieved.
Mentorship: When women mentor women, it breaks barriers and create inclusion at any workplace or environment
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