When we talk about great CEOs, we tend to talk about the same things: strategy, vision, financial performance, innovation and growth. but as a recruiter, I tend to look at something else too: How did they treat their people?
By that measure, I think Dolly Parton gave us a pretty great example of leadership. Most people think of Dolly as a country music legend, entertainer and philanthropist. But behind the rhinestones was also a very smart businesswoman who built an incredible brand, created jobs and seemed to understand something many organizations are still trying to figure out: If you want great people to stay, invest in them.
She put real money behind employee development.
One of my favorite examples is Dollywood’s education benefit. Through the GROW U program, eligible Dollywood Parks & Resorts employees can pursue education with tuition, fees and books covered for participating programs.
Think about the message that sends to an employee. We’re not just interested in what you can do for us today. We’re willing to invest in who you can become tomorrow. As someone who has spent more than 20 years in recruiting, I can tell you that companies spend an incredible amount of money trying to attract talent.
Job postings. Recruiters. Agencies. Signing bonuses. Employer branding campaigns.
Sometimes we forget that one of the best recruiting strategies is simply creating a company people don’t want to leave.
She understood that benefits should actually benefit employees.
Dolly’s companies have also been known for programs that recognize employees personally, including financial gifts tied to milestones such as the birth or adoption of a child. That’s the kind of benefit that gets my attention as a recruiter. Not because every company should copy the exact program, but because it demonstrates an understanding of the moments that actually matter in an employee’s life.
We talk constantly about the “employee experience.”
Sometimes the best employee experience isn’t another company happy hour. It’s knowing your employer recognizes that you have a life outside of work.
She created opportunity where she came from.
When Dolly invested in Dollywood and her other ventures in East Tennessee, she wasn’t simply building another revenue stream, she was creating jobs in the community that helped shape her. That matters. Great CEOs don’t just ask, “Where can we find talent?”
They ask, “How can we create talent and opportunity?”
That is an important distinction, especially today. Employers continue to talk about skills shortages and talent shortages. But sometimes the answer isn’t finding a perfect candidate who already has every skill on Day One. Sometimes the answer is hiring someone with potential and giving them the opportunity to learn.
She understood retention before we called it a retention strategy.
Pay matters. Benefits matter. Career development matters. Feeling valued matters. Leadership matters.
And employees talk.
Every recruiter knows that your employees are either one of your greatest recruiting tools or one of your biggest recruiting challenges.
You can spend millions of dollars building an employer brand, but Glassdoor, LinkedIn and a conversation between two friends can tell candidates what it’s really like to work for you pretty quickly. Dolly seemed to understand that reputation isn’t something your marketing department creates. It’s something your organization earns.
She understood the value of ownership.
There is also a larger business lesson in Dolly’s famous decision to retain control of her publishing rights, including “I Will Always Love You.” When Elvis Presley’s team wanted a share of the publishing rights in exchange for recording the song, Dolly declined.Imagine turning down that opportunity at that point in your career? But she understood the long-term value of what she owned. That’s CEO thinking. The best leaders don’t make every decision based on the next quarter. They understand what assets, people and capabilities will create value years from now.
She built a brand people trusted.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Dolly’s business career is that her brand remained incredibly consistent. She knew exactly who she was.
Her businesses expanded into entertainment, tourism, hospitality, publishing and philanthropy, but they still felt connected to her values and her roots. That’s something I think about a lot when working with companies on recruiting. Your employer brand cannot be completely different from your actual company. Candidates eventually figure it out. The organizations winning the talent conversation aren’t necessarily the ones with the slickest careers page. They’re the ones where the employee experience actually matches the recruiting pitch.
That’s the leadership lesson I keep coming back to.
Dolly Parton built an enormously successful career and business empire. But she also invested in education, created jobs, supported families and gave back to the communities around her. That’s what always stood out to me about her. We spend a lot of time talking about how companies can attract better talent whern maybe we should spend more time asking: Are we building companies great people actually want to work for? Are we building great companies that make a difference in our communities?
Because the best recruiting strategy in the world can’t fix a company that doesn’t invest in its people. Dolly understood that.
And maybe that’s one more reason she was a pretty remarkable CEO.