The Invaluable Lesson Dolly Parton Learned From Working With Some of the “Biggest Jerks” in the Business

The entertainment industry is an awfully colorful one, particularly the music industry. More than maybe any other industry, the music business has a surplus of big and colorful personalities. Big and colorful personalities that can sometimes be a bit difficult to work with. One of the big and colorful personalities who once attested to this is Dolly Parton, but fortunately, the experiences taught Parton an invaluable lesson about collaboration and people in general.

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Seemingly, most people believe that the biggest and brightest stars in the music industry are the ones who are the biggest divas, have the largest egos, and are the most difficult to work with. That is certainly probably true on a case-by-case basis. However, according to Dolly Parton, the artists that are the most difficult are the ones who are on the outskirts of mega-fame, and here is why she thinks that.

According to Dolly Parton, Fame Increases Confidence and Kindness

In her book, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, Parton unloaded a plethora of incredibly wise advice and applicable anecdotes from her life. While Parton didn’t reveal any names regarding this particular piece of advice, she pulled back the curtain on what fame does to an individual. Frankly, her perspective seemingly subverts the common conception of fame, ego, confidence, and kindness.

In the book, Parton wrote, “I have always found it true that the more real talent a person has, the more secure he is in that talent and the less likely he is to be a jerk.” “Most of the tantrums people throw don’t really come out of anger with others as much as from an insecurity within themselves.”

“Some of the nicest, genuinely warmest people I have dealt with have been those with the greatest talent and success,” she added. “And some of the biggest jerks have been people on the perimeter of success who have bluffed their way to where they are.”

Adding onto the comment, and acknowledging the surplus of interesting personalities she’s worked with, Parton wrote, “Show business is a creative field, it is carried out by creative people who by their very nature are oddballs.”

Are you surprised by Parton’s perspective, or does it make total sense? Regardless of what you believe, it seems this realization has played a pivotal role in her career. And maybe, just maybe, you can find a way to apply it to your own life.

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