Positively passionate
Hendriena-Liisa Ndinelago Negumbo is a sales consultant at Namibia Wildlife Resorts within the MICE division and marketing department in the Windhoek central reservations office.
Mariselle Stofberg
Passion is the name of the game for Hendriena-Liisa Ndinelago Negumbo. Negumbo believes that passion needs to be the driving force behind your career and choices, because this changes your entire attitude towards work.
“Generally, people work to get paid and not because they love what they do. I believe that our love for work is a strong driver for success. Because I am passionate about my work, I am less likely to quit when I hit obstacles. I am also more likely to develop more creative solutions to complex problems, even when logic tells me to walk away.”
The 26-year-old Negumbo is a sales consultant at Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) within the MICE division and marketing department in the Windhoek central reservations office.
Negumbo says that apart from passion, talking to other professionals within the field, research, reading and mentorship are key factors when deciding upon a career.
“People may criticise your choices but never let that get in the way of achieving your dreams. My boss says that it is important to never put unnecessary pressure on yourself by comparing your level one to some else’s level ten. Remember that you are your only competition and if you are willing to learn from your mistakes and put in the right work, everything will eventually fall into place.”
Negumbo recently completed a bachelor’s degree in travel and tourism management. “At high school, I always told myself that I wanted to travel and see the world and I thought what better way than to study tourism management?”
The first job she landed was at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as an intern in the tourism division, where she used to capture tourist arrival forms into a database.
“After the first three months of my internship I realised that I wanted another challenge, which resulted in me seeking new opportunities within the industry. I finally got the chance to work for NWR for the remaining two months of my internship, and I never looked back!”
Negumbo has been in the customer service industry for almost four years. “One reason I particularly enjoy this business, and the challenges that go along with it, is the opportunity to connect with people. My job in the MICE department entails organising meetings and conferences for corporate companies within NWR establishments, creative incentives which are packages or tailor-made, packaging wedding itineraries, wedding vouchers and wedding functions, hosting themed events and tour planning.”
Finding your dream position at work is wonderful, but Negumbo urges people to never get too comfortable. “Always be willing to step out of your comfort zone and find ways to grow. If your colleague is working on something that interests you, go and help them. If you see an initiative that you can work on to the betterment of yourself and your company, work on it. Always avoid living for the evenings and weekends, because there is so much more to life than those moments.”
Negumbo is greatly inspired by Esther Ndilula, who is the manager for MICE and tour planning. “She inspires me a great deal, and is one of the young and successful tourism professionals in the industry. Her journey motivates me, and I am fortunate enough to have been allowed to learn from the very best. My love for event planning also inspires me to become one of Namibia’s top event planners, and I am confident that I can achieve this within the tourism industry,” she adds.
“I also value the importance of believing in yourself and having confidence in your choices, trusting that gut feeling and doing what you think is best for you.”
Negumbo will enrol for an honours degree in tourism management next year and hopes to pursue a master’s degree thereafter. “I have also considered enrolling for courses in communication and management, as I see myself taking up a management position in my organisation one day, but all in all, I’m just taking this beautiful journey one step at a time,” she adds.
Passion is the name of the game for Hendriena-Liisa Ndinelago Negumbo. Negumbo believes that passion needs to be the driving force behind your career and choices, because this changes your entire attitude towards work.
“Generally, people work to get paid and not because they love what they do. I believe that our love for work is a strong driver for success. Because I am passionate about my work, I am less likely to quit when I hit obstacles. I am also more likely to develop more creative solutions to complex problems, even when logic tells me to walk away.”
The 26-year-old Negumbo is a sales consultant at Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) within the MICE division and marketing department in the Windhoek central reservations office.
Negumbo says that apart from passion, talking to other professionals within the field, research, reading and mentorship are key factors when deciding upon a career.
“People may criticise your choices but never let that get in the way of achieving your dreams. My boss says that it is important to never put unnecessary pressure on yourself by comparing your level one to some else’s level ten. Remember that you are your only competition and if you are willing to learn from your mistakes and put in the right work, everything will eventually fall into place.”
Negumbo recently completed a bachelor’s degree in travel and tourism management. “At high school, I always told myself that I wanted to travel and see the world and I thought what better way than to study tourism management?”
The first job she landed was at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as an intern in the tourism division, where she used to capture tourist arrival forms into a database.
“After the first three months of my internship I realised that I wanted another challenge, which resulted in me seeking new opportunities within the industry. I finally got the chance to work for NWR for the remaining two months of my internship, and I never looked back!”
Negumbo has been in the customer service industry for almost four years. “One reason I particularly enjoy this business, and the challenges that go along with it, is the opportunity to connect with people. My job in the MICE department entails organising meetings and conferences for corporate companies within NWR establishments, creative incentives which are packages or tailor-made, packaging wedding itineraries, wedding vouchers and wedding functions, hosting themed events and tour planning.”
Finding your dream position at work is wonderful, but Negumbo urges people to never get too comfortable. “Always be willing to step out of your comfort zone and find ways to grow. If your colleague is working on something that interests you, go and help them. If you see an initiative that you can work on to the betterment of yourself and your company, work on it. Always avoid living for the evenings and weekends, because there is so much more to life than those moments.”
Negumbo is greatly inspired by Esther Ndilula, who is the manager for MICE and tour planning. “She inspires me a great deal, and is one of the young and successful tourism professionals in the industry. Her journey motivates me, and I am fortunate enough to have been allowed to learn from the very best. My love for event planning also inspires me to become one of Namibia’s top event planners, and I am confident that I can achieve this within the tourism industry,” she adds.
“I also value the importance of believing in yourself and having confidence in your choices, trusting that gut feeling and doing what you think is best for you.”
Negumbo will enrol for an honours degree in tourism management next year and hopes to pursue a master’s degree thereafter. “I have also considered enrolling for courses in communication and management, as I see myself taking up a management position in my organisation one day, but all in all, I’m just taking this beautiful journey one step at a time,” she adds.
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