Tony Orlando and 𝖣̶𝖺̶𝗐̶𝗇̶ Charles

I walked into my hotel room in Biloxi, Mississippi, and immediately began preparing for my event the next day, as I do with every event—unpack, iron, review my program, get ready for bed. But this time felt a little bit different than normal. I had spent the whole day traveling, which usually wears me out, but that evening I felt energized and buoyant.

Pausing for a moment, I inventoried my day to see why that might be. Oh, yeah. I had bumped into a music and TV star from my youth, Tony Orlando. That was cool, but why would I still be invigorated hours later?

Earlier in the day, as I waited for my plane, my gate agent mentioned that Tony Orlando was on the same flight and offered to introduce him to me. She walked me over and introduced me as a corporate speaker and comedian. I plopped down next to Tony and then proceeded to fanboy out for the next 30 minutes. I mean, this guy is an icon. He’s a legend. And here he is, hanging out at the airport like a regular guy.

I was just a wee laddie at the time, but I remember my family watching his variety show way back when there were only three channels on TV. My sisters and I walked around the house singing his hits like “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,” “Knock Three Times,” and “Candida.” Dang it. Now those songs are going to be stuck in my head all day.

It’s a funny trait of mine that I don’t really like being interviewed myself. Maybe it’s an ADHD thing, but I find it much more interesting to hear other people’s stories. So, I immediately launched into a series of questions for Tony.

Charles: What were your biggest moments on your show?
Tony: I think that answer would be mostly about our guests. So, who did I enjoy the most? That would be Jerry Lewis…

(Being a huge fan of all things comedy, my heart began to race a bit at this point.)

Tony continued: …Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball.

(Around this time, my mouth was hanging wide open. A little drool might’ve slipped out.)

Charles: You, you had them on your show?! How were they? What were they like? Were they nice?

Tony: Oh, yeah. All the big stars are nice. The difficult ones were the people who thought they were a bigger deal than they really were.

Charles: Do you still perform these days?

Tony: Oh, no. I’m retired now. I’m 81 and have been performing since I was 16 years old.

I asked Tony if he would mind doing a quick video for my Facebook followers, and he graciously agreed to do it.

If you want, you can stop reading for a moment and watch the video here: Charles meets Tony Orlando

WARNING: It’s not pretty. Tony is great, but I’m seriously fanboying and barely keeping it together. But, hey man, it’s Tony stinkin’ Orlando!

We spoke for a few more minutes and then boarded the plane. About mid-flight, it occurred to me that I ought to give Tony one of my books. I had a copy of The Seven Powers of Success with me, so I—can you even imagine the audacity of doing this—signed it for him. I autographed my book for Tony Orlando! The gall! The nerve!

I walked it up the aisle and presented it to him, and he graciously accepted it. After the flight, he waited for me to get off the plane (he had a better seat than me, of course—he’s Tony stinkin’ Orlando!) and thanked me for the book. He told me he had enjoyed what he had read so far and looked forward to reading more.

All of this flooded back as I wandered around my hotel room, and I asked myself again: Why did that affect my mood hours later?

Then it hit me. Tony practiced two traits that everyone who aspires to be successful needs.

Tony made me feel seen. He focused on me, listened to my questions, and spoke to me like a peer, which I’m clearly not. But I suspect he has honed this skill for many years. While being perfectly genuine and authentic, he was able to engage with me on a personal level.

Tony made me feel important. He didn’t have to spend that time with me. He could have disengaged from the conversation. (But you were sitting next to him! He couldn’t get away! Trust me. There are ways to get out of those situations, and I’m pretty sure he knows them.)

He could have excused himself from the conversation. He could have politely declined the video. He could have chosen not to wait for me at the gate. And he would’ve been completely within his rights to do so. But he chose a higher path. He chose to invest in another human being. And from where I’m sitting, that just looks like a classy move.

I walked away from that interaction that day with more than a great story. I walked away inspired to emulate what I had seen in Tony—to try to be present in every conversation, to uplift and encourage those with whom I interact.

Who would have guessed that Tony Orlando was so inspirational?