Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Style

In the list of the world's ranking mega-leaders, there are few women. This is undoubtedly not for any lack of talent or leadership ability among women, but more likely because the step between being a good leader and being a world-renowned mega-leader is quite large, and few women or men, for that matter have been able to pull together all of the abilities and resources necessary to make it happen. In Oprah Winfrey's case, however, mega-leadership was achievable, and she has not only achieved it but keeps increasing her leadership base. Starting out as a talk-show host, she has become the Chairman of the Harpo group of companies, the founder and editorial director of O Magazine, producer, actress, an online leader via her Oprah.com website, a prominent philanthropist, television programming creator, cofounder of the Oxygen cable network, and recipient of numerous achievement and humanitarian awards ("Oprah Winfrey's Biography"). Oprah is 359th on Forbes magazine's "400 Richest Americans" list and has won seven Emmys as host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (Mayer, 29). Oprah Winfrey is undeniably a modern example of great leadership and a model for women everywhere who want to be leaders and accomplish great things.

Since Oprah started out as a poor black girl in the South, sexually abused and of uncertain parentage, her climb to meteoric success was not by any means easy or guaranteed. Oprah overcame enormous odds and great personal pain to

Related Essays

Sensational Daytime Talk Shows .... People continue to respond positively to daytime television talk shows, including programs as diverse as those of Oprah Winfrey and Jerry .... Dupree, S. (1995). .... (2530 10 )

Ryka, Inc. SWOT .... this problem became apparent after the owner's appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show .... Another threat is Ryka Inc.'s lack of credibility in the investment community .... (1187 5 )

Thinking Strategically .... Furthermore, as Oz!'s business progresses through future phases of growth, the Grand .... A number of years ago on her television show, Oprah Winfrey made a comment .... (2069 8 )

Self-Other Comparisons .... incident, two cousins were watching the Oprah Winfrey show, which .... Perhaps those on the Oprah show had significant advantages and .... Murray, S. & Aloni, M. (2009). .... (1467 6 )

Trash TV .... as regards the connection between them, their audience(s), and the .... Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Maury Povich, Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue .... (9959 40 )

Tiger Woods .... embraced they shared after Tiger won his first Masters, an embrace that moved president Clinton and spurred Oprah Winfrey to label .... Rushin, S. (Jul 31, 2001). .... (1277 5 )

d Cow disease, Oprah made the offhand comment that "It has just stopped me cold from eating another burger." That one sentence sent cattle prices tumbling, costing beef producers approximately $12 million ("Oprah Winfrey"). The cattlemen sued her for "false defamation of perishable food" and "business disparagement," sparking a two-month court battle, which she subsequently won ("Oprah Winfrey"). The ability to touch people's hearts implies another element that is obvious in Oprah's leadership trust. People trust Oprah, possibly because she openly expresses her opinions and shows herself to be caring toward others. Many leaders feel it necessary to withhold their personal feelings from those beneath them, distancing themselves in an attempt to maintain order and discipline. This may work for holding people in line and getting them to obey out of fear, but it does not capture hearts or inspire the kind of devotion that Oprah's fans feel for her. They love her, and they listen to every word she says. She has personal power that is grounded not only in respect but also in a belief that she cares for them as much as they care for her. As a media personality, someone whom millions know, it is to Oprah's credit that she is ab

Category: People - O