by Carolyn Ortman | Leadership
The house lights stayed low. The stage was empty.
But no one moved.
The crowd just stood there, clapping, cheering, hollering for more — hoping for just one more song.
Then — the bass player walked out. He grabbed his instrument, turned to leave… and stopped. The crowd roared.
He came back to the front of the stage, put his finger to his lips, and whispered:
“Shhh. They turned off the PA — you have to be quiet.”
And then, in the stillness, he started strumming “Isn’t She Lovely.”
Moments later, the star himself walked back on stage — now in a different outfit, holding a melodica (like a mini piano.) The audience erupted.
He pulled up a stool, joined the bassist, and started to improvise.
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by Carolyn Ortman | Leadership
Last week, I shared how hiring a wedding coordinator taught me the power of delegation — leaders don’t need to do it all themselves.
This week, I’m thinking about what I experienced on my honeymoon at Turtle Island in Fiji: a small, tight-knit community that worked like a single heartbeat.
Building on the Fijian culture of strong communities, the staff of local villagers— from gardeners to boat captains — had one shared mission: “Create life-changing memories for every guest.”
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by Carolyn Ortman | Leadership
I said “I do”… and then I let go.
A leadership lesson from my wedding. 💍
A friend convinced me to hire a “day-of” coordinator. At first, I resisted—I like to be in control (anyone else?).
But trusting her was the best decision.
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by Carolyn Ortman | Uncategorized
Here are 5 tips for more efficient meetings the staff won’t dread…
Recently I read an article that Microsoft is seeing a jump of 250% more meetings held every day since before the pandemic! I’ll bet they’re not alone. Since the world shut down over two years ago, we know we started blending work and home schedules. (Sitting in a Teams or Zoom meeting while checking email, catching up on an article, doing laundry, or making breakfast is now totally normal behavior.)
But to what end? Yes, meetings need to happen.
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by Carolyn Ortman | Uncategorized
Words matter, don’t they?
…And they matter especially to your customers and clients. This seems obvious – yet many people are not conscious enough of the words they choose, especially in potentially emotional or volatile communications.
I was reminding my audience of this recently while conducting a corporate training on Professional Communication.
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by Carolyn Ortman | Uncategorized
You’re juggling workloads, employee management and motivation, company policies and culture. Apply these tips for less stress and more success in your role.
➡️ Understand expectations and priorities
Ask what is expected of you. Early in the job, hold meaningful conversations with management to understand the success factors you will be evaluated on. As well, share your expectations of your role with management. Gain clarity about priorities. For instance, are there “pet” projects you’re expected to stay involved with? Can management advise you about how to best supervise in this company culture?
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by Carolyn Ortman | Work from Home
With so many people now being forced to work from their living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, or wherever they can set up a workstation, it’s become clear this new reality of working from home could last awhile. We are all in a marathon, not a sprint!
For the last 14 years, I’ve been either working at home or traveling abroad and domestically conducting live trainings.
But now, along with so many, I’ve been grounded.
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by Carolyn Ortman | Marketing Mastery
Looking for ways to grow your expertise and exposure? Here are 10 ways to do just that.
Public Relations… Did you know you can create buzz around your business and get press coverage? Just think of what would be of interest to the public, write up a press release, and send it to online and offline news outlets and publications. Are you having a grand opening? Are you putting on an event and supporting a local cause? Did your business hit a milestone? Think about what might be newsworthy.
Video Marketing… As the #2 search engine behind Google, YouTube just keeps getting hotter! You’ll build your audience engagement, relevance, and following by producing videos for online distribution. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social platforms now give you more choices to share your content. Remember, too, that video builds your SEO and extends your brand.
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