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JOY IS NOT A PERK. IT'S A BUSINESS STRATEGY.
By Melissa DaSilva, Deputy CEO & Chief Sales Officer – TTC Tour Brands
For a long time, joy at work got a bad rap.
Somewhere along the way, it became shorthand for ping pong tables, forced fun or perks that look good in a recruiting brochure but do very little when things get hard. That’s not the joy I’m talking about.
When I talk about joy as a business strategy, I mean something much simpler and much more powerful. Joy is the energy that comes from doing meaningful work, feeling seen as a human being and being proud of what you’re building together. It’s what shows up when people are connected to purpose, to one another and to the impact of their work.
Where Joy Meets Performance
In travel, joy is not optional.
We sell curiosity. We sell connection. We sell discovery. If the people creating and selling those experiences are depleted, guarded in their approach or worst of all, truly burned out, it shows. Internally, this has a negative impact on how we work and collaborate with colleagues and vendors; externally, feeling drained shows up in the way customers, especially our trusted travel partners, experience our brands. Joy is the opposite of depletion. It fills the cup so people can show up fully, even when the pressure is on.
And pressure is always on.
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is defaulting to control and urgency when things get tough. Closed doors. Faster decisions. Less communication. It feels efficient, but it usually has the opposite effect.
This is where joy becomes a resilience builder. When teams feel trusted and valued, they recover faster. They problem-solve better. Most importantly, connected teams stay engaged instead of shutting down. Fear fractures teams. Joy holds them together when things don’t go according to plan.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen this play out over and over again, especially in a relationship-driven industry like ours. Strong partnerships are rooted in warmth, confidence and trust, not just contracts. People would rather do business with someone they feel connected to than someone who just shows up to shake hands and close deals. Those relationships last longer because they are built on something deeper.
I've learned that joy requires discipline.
Putting Joy into Practice
So how do you instill the practice of joy at work, especially if you’re a small business owner or running a lean team?
First, acknowledge effort publicly and privately. Not just when results are perfect, but when people are working hard and showing up. A simple “that was great” or “I see what you did there” goes a long way.
Second, connect the dots. People need to understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture. For advisors, that might mean reminding your team that they are not just booking trips, they are bringing dreams to life. That matters.
Third, hire for attitude before skill whenever you can. Every time. A high performer who poisons the culture will cost you more than they deliver. A team of people pulling in the same direction will always outperform one superstar dragging everyone else down.
Finally, model the behavior you want to see. You can tell people to take care of themselves, but if you are emailing at 11 p.m., they won’t believe you. I leave the office at 5 p.m. twice a week and say exactly where I’m going. That visibility gives people permission to do the same.
Why Advisors Need Joy Too
Personally, I’ve learned that joy requires discipline. If I don’t protect balance in my life, my cup empties quickly and I don’t show up as the leader, colleague or parent I want to be. For me, that means regular workouts, acupuncture and time with my daughters and my dog.
When I’m full, I show up differently. I’m more optimistic, more solution-oriented and more resilient when things go sideways. That mindset carries into every conversation I have at work.
Joy is also free. It does not require expensive perks or constant rewards. It requires
intention, clarity and humanity. That’s it.
For travel advisors, this matters deeply. You are small business owners, leaders, problem solvers, and emotional anchors for your clients when things go wrong. If you want to sell joy, discovery and imagination that makes memories, you have to make space for those things in your own life and in your teams.
In this way, joy is not about being less professional, it’s about being more human. And in this business, that’s a competitive advantage.
