Leaderly Quote: If your actions create a legacy…
By Jo Miller
If you’ve attended one of my Poised for Leadership workshops you’ll know that as a trainer I’ll do just about anything to fend off the 2:30 p.m. post-lunch energy slump. This includes plying my class participants with chocolate and caffeine, getting everyone up out of their chairs networking and up doing silly leadership themed stretches to Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.
So I was intrigued when I came across this leadership quote that is purportedly from Dolly Parton.
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”
This has also been attributed to John Quincy Adams and others, so I tried a bit of fact checking and here’s what I found on web site, Quote Investigator (QI):
“The earliest version of this statement found by QI was printed in a 1997 book titled “The Most Important Thing I Know” that compiled inspirational thoughts from a variety of prominent individuals.”
“QI believes that Parton is the most likely originator of this quotation.”
That works for me! Now if I can only get that earworm 9 to 5 out of my head…
Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.

By Jo Miller
If you’ve attended one of my Poised for Leadership workshops you’ll know that as a trainer I’ll do just about anything to fend off the 2:30 p.m. post-lunch energy slump. This includes plying my class participants with chocolate and caffeine, getting everyone up out of their chairs networking and up doing silly leadership themed stretches to Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.
So I was intrigued when I came across this leadership quote that is purportedly from Dolly Parton.
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”
This has also been attributed to John Quincy Adams and others, so I tried a bit of fact checking and here’s what I found on web site, Quote Investigator (QI):
“The earliest version of this statement found by QI was printed in a 1997 book titled “The Most Important Thing I Know” that compiled inspirational thoughts from a variety of prominent individuals.”
“QI believes that Parton is the most likely originator of this quotation.”
That works for me! Now if I can only get that earworm 9 to 5 out of my head…

Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.