One of my favorite things about Dolly Parton was that she never seemed to apologize for taking up space.
Last week, we lost Dolly Parton. And it feels strange to write that sentence.
Dolly was many things. Singer. Songwriter. Actress. Businesswoman. Philanthropist. Rhinestone enthusiast. Purveyor of homespun wisdom and one-liners that could make you laugh and think at exactly the same time.
But what I always loved about Dolly was that underneath all of it was this unwavering belief in possibility. She seemed to genuinely believe that people could become something more, do something bigger, and build a life that perhaps didn’t look anything like where they started.
She certainly did.
Dolly grew up one of 12 children in the mountains of East Tennessee and went on to sell more than 100 million records, write thousands of songs, star in movies, build businesses, earn Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award, receive the Kennedy Center Honors, and be inducted into both the Country Music and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame.
And yet, through all of it, she was still unmistakably Dolly.
Big hair. Big dreams. Big heart.
Maybe there is some wisdom in that, too.
LEADERSHIP: Know Who You Are
One of my favorite things about Dolly Parton was that she never seemed to apologize for taking up space.
She could walk into a room filled with powerful executives, famous musicians, Hollywood stars, or world leaders and still show up as the woman from the mountains of Tennessee.
She didn’t need to become less country to be taken seriously.
She didn’t need to stop being funny to be intelligent.
And she certainly didn’t need fewer rhinestones to prove she belonged.
There is something incredibly powerful about knowing yourself well enough that you don’t spend all your energy adjusting who you are depending on the room.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t adapt. Good leaders read the room. We listen. We learn. We understand context and adjust how we communicate.
But adapting to a room is different from believing we have to earn our right to be in it.
Dolly also seemed to understand that confidence doesn’t require taking yourself terribly seriously. She was famously willing to poke fun at herself, her hair, her clothes, her appearance, and her larger-than-life persona.
Maybe that’s part of the lesson.
Know yourself. Know your value. Have a little humor about the whole thing. And when you walk into the room, believe you belong there.
Because you do.
LIFE: A Little More Dolly
Two weeks ago, I was in Branson, Missouri, with my family celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday.
Because nothing says “Happy 40th!” quite like taking a bunch of kids to Dolly Parton’s Stampede show.
If you haven’t experienced it, imagine a rodeo, a musical, a theatrical production, a horse show, and dinner all happening simultaneously. There are 32 horses, trick riding, music, dancing, comedy, special effects, and enough activity happening around you that you’re never entirely sure where to look.
It is wonderfully over the top.
In other words, it is very Dolly.
At the time, it was simply a fun night with people I love. I certainly didn’t think that two weeks later I’d be reflecting on Dolly’s life and what she represented.
But maybe that’s another piece of her legacy.
She didn’t just build a career around herself. She built things that created experiences and opportunities for other people.
She started the Imagination Library in 1995 because her father couldn’t read or write. What began in her home county in Tennessee grew into an international program that has put hundreds of millions of books into the hands of children.
She built businesses. Created jobs. Told stories. Made people laugh. Gave generously. And encouraged people to dream bigger than their circumstances.
She once described her dream simply: to make as many people happy as she could in this life.
I think she did a pretty good job.
So this week, perhaps we could all channel a little more Dolly.
Dream bigger than where you started.
Know what you bring to the table.
Don’t confuse humility with making yourself smaller.
Help somebody else believe in what’s possible for them.
And for goodness’ sake, have a sense of humor while you’re doing it.
Any room you walk into, you belong.
You might as well walk in like you know it.
Have Good Ripple Effect,
Lisa