In the list of the worldÆs 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 womenùor men, for that matterùhave been able to pull together all of the abilities and resources necessary to make it happen. In Oprah WinfreyÆs 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 (ôOprah WinfreyÆs Biographyö). Oprah is 359th on Forbes magazineÆs ô400 Richest Americansö list and has won seven Emmys as host of ôThe Oprah Winfrey Showö (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 become who she is todayùa leader in many different venues. Her uncommon success has invited questions from many as to what special skills and leadership abilities have contributed to her continual rise to greater power and new areas of accomplishment. One of these qualities is an impeccable ability to organize. Oprah is adept at taking an idea and bringing it into reality through organization. She has good instincts, knowing what to discard, what to highlight, and how to bring ...