In memory of Dolly Parton, I’m reprinting my article from 2020 on genius communication lessons gleaned from this iconic superstar.

Did you know Dolly Parton turned down Elvis Presley’s offer to record her signature song, “I Will Always Love You?”

“It didn’t have anything to do with Elvis. I loved Elvis,” Parton says.

“The night before the session, Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, called me and said, ‘You know, we don’t record anything with Elvis unless we have the publishing, or at least half the publishing rights,’” she recalls. “I said, ‘Well, that throws a new light on this. Because I can’t give you half the publishing. I’m gonna leave that to my family.’ I said, ‘I can’t do that.’”

As the story goes, “I Will Always Love You,” earned Dolly not only a #1 hit, but also a huge cover version from Whitney Houston that propelled this song to an even higher iconic status.

And it did make Dolly Parton rich. (She says so… with a smile… in a current documentary about her!)

Communication leadership lessons for you:

✅  Make decisions. Gain from the good ones, learn from the bad ones.
✅  Stand up for yourself. Believe in yourself.
✅  Say “no” when it’s the best move to make.

Dolly said it best: “You need to know when to stand up for yourself… That’s kind of what you have to learn: To stand up and know that you’ve got to live with all the decisions that you make. I make decisions every day. The good ones inspire me and the bad ones just kind of teach me, so that’s kind of how you have to look at it.”

🎶  Dolly Parton will be missed. Her songs and lessons will stand the test of time. 🎶