SPONSORED CONTENT
COURAGE IS A PRACTICE,
NOT A PERSONALITY TRAIT
By Melissa DaSilva, Deputy CEO & Chief Sales Officer – TTC Tour Brands
When people talk about courage in leadership, they often frame it as a personality trait. You’re either a risk taker or you’re not. I don’t see it that way.
There are absolutely people who are wired to take big swings, but when it comes to courage in leadership, that’s not really what I’m talking about. To me, the bravery it takes to make decisions in business is different. It’s a skill, one you build over time; and more than simply gut instinct, courage to lead in a business setting is rooted in experienced judgment, data and the willingness to move forward even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.
In travel, playing it safe is often the riskiest move you can make.
This industry changes constantly — from new entrants and new platforms to new ways travelers research, book and experience the world. If you only do what’s always worked, you may feel comfortable in the short term, but eventually you may get left behind. Courage shows up in the decisions you make when you can see change coming and choose to act before you’re forced to.
That doesn’t mean reckless decisions. It means calculated ones.
The Courage to Decide
One of the biggest traps leaders fall into is confusing caution with rigor. Analysis paralysis isn’t about a lack of data, it’s often fear dressed up as process. You don’t need consensus on every decision. You do need governance, clear thinking and honesty about risk.
Every decision has an upside and a downside. Courage is being willing to name both and still move forward.
At TTC Tour Brands, we’ve made some very big, very visible decisions that have transformed how we operate as an organization. That work continues, but no recent decision defines this courageous transformation better than our effort to introduce river cruising, a feat that will launch next month on the Rhine and Danube and continue next year when we begin itineraries on the Seine.
That decision was scary. River cruising requires fixed capacity and long-term commitment. But we understood the landscape, the high demand and most importantly, believed it was a clear extension of what we already do well: curated, guided experiences that immerse and delight travelers. We trusted our understanding of our guests and travel advisor partners, which gave us the confidence to commit and move forward. We didn’t wait until everything was perfect. We moved, then measured.
“Courage grows when you know failure won’t end you.”
Travel advisors face their own versions of these moments every day. Many are career changers who took a leap to start their own business. Others are deciding when to specialize, when to expand or when to say no to work that no longer serves them. Courage might look like investing in marketing before the pipeline feels full. Or shifting focus even when sales are strong, because deeper metrics are telling a different story.
One piece of advice I’d offer is this: don’t rely on a single metric to tell you everything is fine. Sales might be up, but is volume declining? Are leads slowing? Are you reaching the clients you want to be serving next year, not just today? Courage often starts with asking better questions.
It also requires being willing to fail.
You can’t take smart risks if you’re not prepared for something not to work. That doesn’t mean betting the business. It means setting clear milestones and check-ins. One month. Three months. Six months. If it’s working, you double down. If it’s not, you adjust or walk it back. Courage grows when you know failure won’t end you.
Where Courage Becomes Culture
For leaders who employ others, courage also means giving your teams permission to take risks. And that permission has to be real. If someone brings you an idea and it doesn’t work, you don’t punish them for trying. You learn and move forward. Innovation doesn’t come from leaders alone. It comes from people who feel safe enough to speak up.
Risk is a practice. You start small and build muscle. Over time, bigger decisions feel less intimidating because you’ve learned how to navigate uncertainty.
For many women, especially those who came of age being taught to be careful, agreeable and prepared, this can be uncomfortable. Courage may not have been encouraged early on. That doesn’t mean it can’t be learned. It absolutely can.
Courage isn’t about bravado. It’s about clarity, confidence and choosing progress over comfort.
And in an industry built on movement, that choice matters.
