By Michael Akana, ECCS, CTC, Member of The Travel Institute’s Professional Educators Program (PEP) and co-author, The Travel Advisor’s Handbooks.
In our past Friday Five reflections, we’ve discussed transformative travel, resiliency, and connection. Transformation doesn’t happen all at once—it unfolds through attention, relationship, and consistent effort.
You’ve done the work. You’ve learned the techniques, followed best practices, and delivered the kind of information and customer service that have proven effective throughout your career—or, if you’re newer to the profession, you’ve applied what you studied and followed advice you learned to trust. Yet, at times, the results don’t quite line up with what we expect or carefully plan.
When the unexpected happens, it’s natural to look for a missing tactic, a better script, or a new direction altogether. Before taking sudden steps, it helps to remember that our service is experienced differently by each client—even when it is delivered with care and consistency. Here are five thoughts that can help us stay grounded and on track when outcomes surprise us.
1. Affirm the Work You’ve Done
Acknowledge what’s working. You’ve invested time, care, and experience into your business. An unexpected outcome doesn’t erase that effort—or your competence. Sometimes it simply reveals something that wasn’t anticipated or immediately visible.
2. Stay with the Plan—Long Enough to Learn
Not every unexpected result calls for a course correction. Staying with a sound plan long enough allows patterns to emerge. Clarity often comes after consistency, not before it.
3. Question the Reason for the Unexpected Outcome
When results don’t align with expectations, pause and ask why. The explanation isn’t always a missing tactic or a misstep. Sometimes it’s found in how the experience was received, not just how it was delivered. Curiosity is more useful here than self-critique—and a pause doesn’t mean stopping.
4. Decide Whether Change Is Necessary—or Just Tempting
Friction doesn’t always signal failure. At times, it’s simply information. Before changing direction, consider whether the moment is pointing to a meaningful adjustment—or merely inviting reflection.
5. If Change Is Needed, Test It Gently
When adjustment makes sense, start small. A slight shift in timing, language, or emphasis may address the unexpected outcome—without abandoning a course that’s already serving you and your clients well.
Even consistent, attentive, and well-intentioned service is experienced differently by each client. An unexpected—or even negative—response is not always an indictment of our work. At times, it’s a sign that the clarity and visibility of our service are drawing the attention of those who are not part of our primary market.
We can expand our market thoughtfully, but we should be cautious about reshaping our service in ways that weaken the trust and loyalty of our core clients. Our choices should help us remain steady, adaptable, and aligned with the work we do best.
Staying the course is not inaction, and we can continue to pay attention, learn, and make thoughtful adjustments that improve our service while preserving the flow of business and staying true to our model and our loyal clients.
We may discover that what once felt like missteps or disconnection were not failures at all, but moments that sharpened our awareness of our work, our clients, and ourselves.
To distill the discussion: What’s worth adjusting, and what’s worth protecting? What’s the next small step worth taking? We’ll start there. And together, we’ll continue to figure out the rest—one conversation, one destination, and one experience at a time.
