American talk show host Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential women in the world. Her incredible success as a television producer and actress has propelled her to the upper echelons of US society, and she is a role model for millions of people around the globe.
With a life story that never fails to inspire and amaze, what is it about Oprah’s leadership style that continues to garner so many accolades – and why does this incredible woman remain a symbol of hope to so many after all these years?
How Oprah Winfrey Got Started
The early life of Oprah Gail Winfrey is one marked by hardship and unrelenting poverty.
Tragically losing her prematurely-born son in infancy, Winfrey secured a job in local radio, going on to become co-anchor of the evening news slot by the age of just 19.
From there, Oprah’s unique style and delivery saw her switch to the more prestigious daytime show, giving her the launch pad needed to start her very own production company, from where she eventually became the household name she is today.
Why Is Oprah An Inspiring Leader?
Nothing engenders confidence in other people like seeing someone lead by example.
The principle here is to practice what you preach, and Oprah does this by being accountable and making difficult decisions when the occasion requires. While employees recount stories of her being the first person in to work – and often the last to leave – Oprah never hesitates to offer a lending hand to colleagues when the going gets tough.
Winfrey also believes that real integrity means doing what’s right, even when there’s nobody there to witness it. Her commitment to authenticity requires that she treats everyone with respect, and to put one’s own concerns second when it comes to the common good.
What Qualities of Charismatic Leadership Does Oprah Possess?
It’s a peculiar function of charismatic leadership that those who possess it generally don’t need to rely on formal authority or power to influence others. This is certainly true of Oprah Winfrey, who, in many senses, is almost a case study in charismatic leadership itself.
For Oprah, her integrity and her self-confidence coalesce in ways that puts us, the viewer, at ease with her presence. Indeed, it’s her emotional intelligence – that is, the ability to understand and empathize with others – that really distinguishes Oprah from so many other TV personalities.
The sociologist Marshall McLuhan said that charisma simply means looking like other people – or, to put it another way, that other people can see themselves reflected in the charismatic figure put before them.
This seems obvious when we consider Oprah Winfrey, a person whose life story and humble background so many normal folks can identify with. This point is only further intensified when we consider that her qualities of compassion, credibility and kindness are also the ones that most people want to possess themselves.
Is Oprah A Spiritual Leader?
It’s not much of a stretch to say that the power of Oprah Winfrey’s fame has turned her into a kind of spiritual leader to her mainly female-dominated fan base.
Indeed, on the occasion of the first episode of Oprah’s 13th season, comedian and actress Roseanne Barr literally declared the famous chat show host to be “the African Mother Goddess of us all” – a claim which was received with wild applause from the gathered studio audience.
Since the authority of charismatic leadership rests on the force of personality of the leader in question, it’s hardly surprising that Oprah’s much vaunted character traits would turn her into something of a spiritual figure too.
This is the age of the “spiritual but not religious” demographic after all, and Oprah WInfrey’s mantle of high-priestess seems perfectly logical in that regard.
In fact, Christianity Today published a 2002 article entitled The Church of O, concluding that Oprah’s place as an important spiritual leader was no doubt thoroughly deserved.
Is Oprah A Participative Leader?
Recognizing the fact that it’s so much easier to achieve great things together as opposed to on our own, Oprah constantly surrounds herself not just with people who are smart, but also with those who are smarter than her in ways that she is not.
As a participative leader, this means gaining the consensus of her team through group discussion and debate, and Winfrey is always open to input from colleagues and staff.
For instance, when Oprah launched her book club in 1996, she canvassed the opinions of her team when it came to deciding on the featured novel of the month. Furthermore, producers and other members of staff also play a central role when it comes to generating new show ideas and magazine content.
What Theory of Leadership Applies To Oprah?
If one aspect of Oprah Winfrey’s leadership style defines her overall guiding theory, it’s the idea of valuing people above all else. Whether it’s her employees or her customers, placing the interests of individual human lives at the center of everything she does is paramount.
This is why Oprah once funded an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii for her more than 1,000-strong crew of employees, and why she showers her studio audience with lavish gifts during her “Oprah’s Big Give” events.
Nurturing these relationships doesn’t just benefit Oprah in the short-term – it secures her the loyalty of her employees, peers and viewers for many years to come.
Is Oprah A Transformational Leader?
Although Oprah’s domain of expertise lies in the field of television and electronic media, the sheer scope of her work has turned her into what can only be described as a transformational leader.
Through the Oprah Winfrey Show and her multimedia production company Harpo Productions, Oprah touches the lives of millions for the better.
Her philanthropy work and charitable foundations act at both a community and a personal level, while her efforts as an activist operate and influence matters in the political and organizational spheres.
Examples of Oprahs’s Leadership
Oprah Winfrey’s leadership style is seen to be so influential that it’s come to be dubbed the “Oprah Effect”.
This is especially true when considering Oprah’s ability to change consumer purchasing habits with her endorsement of certain brands, as well as her power to shape public opinion on many important topics.
A good example of the “Oprah Effect” would be the way that book recommendations made on her Book Club would instantly become overnight best sellers. Kathleen Rooney, writing in her book Reading with Oprah: The Book Club that Changed America, outlines the far-reaching cultural impact of the Book Club, describing Winfrey ultimately as a “serious intellectual” deserving of much respect.
Is Oprah’s Leadership Style Effective?
It’s easy to forget sometimes that the fruits of Oprah Winfrey’s leadership are not just limited to those who would ordinarily belong to her typical North American viewership. Indeed, Oprah has leveraged her success in such a way that she is able to help and enrich those in need all over the world.
A case in point would be the 2004 episode of Oprah’s Christmas Kindness, in which Oprah and her crew made their way to South Africa to focus the world’s attention on the dire plight of young children stricken by both poverty and the AIDS epidemic.
Over the course of the 3-week trip, Oprah travelled the country, distributing Christmas gifts to the thousands of children she met in orphanages and schools in some of the worst hit areas of the nation.
As well as using the show as a way to get much needed aid out to those most in need, Oprah also used the opportunity to publicize and raise money for her Angel Network charity. By doing so she was able to generate $7 million of additional donations to the cause, which, together with another $40 million of Winfrey’s own money, would be used to establish the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the country.
Source: Unsplash
Oprah Winfrey Democratic Leadership Style Qualities
Rumors have circulated for years now that Oprah Winfrey’s bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination was imminent – and never was this more so than in the lead-up to the 2020 United States presidential election.
In the event, however, all the excitement came to nothing. Oprah, a self-declared political independent, clearly lacked the political and policy expertise needed for such a high-profile position, although many of her considerable leadership skills would surely have helped her flourish in the job.
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls
Reflecting on her own experiences as a disadvantaged child, Oprah Winfrey resolved in 2002 to build a boarding school in Gauteng Province, South Africa for talented girls from impoverished backgrounds. The project was completed in 2007, and its inaugural class graduated four years later in 2011.
The academy was praised by Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela, not just for the way it changed the lives of so many young women who studied there, but also for its potential to raise the aspirations of all women living in South Africa.
How Is Oprah A Good Role Model?
Oprah has been the guiding light in her own journey to success – and that’s why she’s also a guiding light for others treading the same path.
Having gotten fired from one of her first TV jobs, Oprah went on to become one of the most powerful players in a notoriously demanding industry. But she didn’t just stop there; she’s excelled in pretty much everything she’s put her hand to since, be it her own financial growth, her philanthropy, or her wide-ranging business success
That’s why people look up to Oprah – and why she remains to this day an excellent role model for so many people all around the world.
#1 Stock For The Next 7 Days
When Financhill publishes its #1 stock, listen up. After all, the #1 stock is the cream of the crop, even when markets crash.
Financhill just revealed its top stock for investors right now... so there's no better time to claim your slice of the pie.
See The #1 Stock Now >>The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Financhill has a disclosure policy. This post may contain affiliate links or links from our sponsors.