How is oprah winfrey a leader

Their very decisions are planted with the premise that how others are impacted matters most; whether others benefit matters most; how high others can be elevated matters most; and whether others can be empowered is what matters most. The fact that she has handled her success so adeptly, despite her impoverished childhood , is astounding.

Then, she successfully touched the lives of people with the combination of her wit, impudence and kindness. She has influenced a lot of people just by her presence and stature. Her achievements today would not have been possible if she was not equipped with the right characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. I f Oprah Winfrey had allowed her humble beginnings to define what she could achieve, she would never have become as successful and influential as she is today.

Instead she harnessed the power of her education and found a career that she was passionate about. Even once she found success with The Oprah Winfrey Show , she had the courage the dream even bigger. She continued to focus on the talk show as the linchpin of her brand, but went into other related areas such as publishing and production which ultimately led to her own television channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Because of this strategy, Oprah Winfrey is not only a celebrity, but also a tycoon. But there is one important leadership trait that transformational leaders share. Important They are focused on the one thing they have mastery over. While she may seem to be everywhere, she is focused on one area — media.

Media is where she excels at, which is why she concentrated on it and worked to have dominance over it. The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Most successful people have big dreams and goals that they worked hard to see through. Oprah is no different. Although she came from nothing, she managed to find a platform to build herself on and succeeded. She always believed that she can turn her dreams into a reality and, with confidence in her abilities, she found the ultimate success.

Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart, and success will come to you. Oprah is not afraid to get behind a myriad of projects at once, and she always makes sure each one is a success. Her own magazine, called The O Magazine , has been very successful.

Winfrey has raised the bar as a genuinely authentic and transformational leader. She exhibits the qualities and competencies that the best business books and executive education programs steer us to attain. O prah Winfrey is good at attracting attention from the public because people see her to have a strong temperament. Aside from that, she is very competent when it comes to business. Rather, her approach to reach out and persuade people and her persistence has earned her the trust and praise of people around her.

Moreover, she has the will that is grounded in respect and belief that she has compassion as her supports has for her. Just the name Oprah is analogous with an American national landmark and a global treasure.

She speaks and we listen without one ounce of authority over us; this is pure influence and authenticity at play here people! We do this because she brings a level of integrity, credibility, charisma and emotional intelligence that is hardly surpassed. If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit. Charismatic leaders have many attributes; they are described as having a strong sense of moral values, self-confidence, and having a fierce desire to influence others.

Charisma is more than being engaging or witty. Those who dare to be vulnerable and who genuinely want to connect and share and treat us with respect and kindness. When you have the courage to share with another person who you are , and what matters, you invite them to do the same. And when this happens, connection occurs. A s a self-made multi-billionaire who grew up through a life of poverty, Oprah does remind us that we are in control of our own destinies , and that our lives are shaped by the choices we make and how we choose to move forward in the face of adversity.

They believe we can do better. They believe there is a higher calling. They believe there is hope. And that inspires everyone around them to do better, be better and keep pushing forward. Oprah displays this optimism and it helps her bounce back constantly. Important Oprah believes risky situations also are significant opportunities.

Where there is no struggle, there is no strength. Oprah became the first female African American billionaire, because of her hard work and her refusal to give up, she went from nearly being sent to juvenile detention to becoming a leading American icon. To accomplish what Oprah has takes insatiable ambition, drive and focus. It takes an iron stomach of stamina.

Her message and example of positivity—to live your best life—endears her to everyone around her. Important Leaders who are viewed as selfish or unethical are quickly dethroned. Back in the '80s and '90s, Oprah led a field of daytime talk show hosts. However, the format of these shows was morphing into ratings-driven TV and sensationalism. In , Oprah -- influenced by Gary Zukav's book The Seat of the Soul and its message about living with intention -- said "no more" to tabloid TV.

She vowed that every episode would be "a force for good," devoted to topics such as spirituality and self-actualization.

These were topics that mattered to Oprah, and she correctly figured they would matter to others. Undeterred by rating pressures, Oprah continued with her "live your best life" format. It was this format that would form the foundation for Oprah's entire career.

What can we learn from Oprah's leadership path? And what are the steps to becoming an authentic leader? Before you even map out your career playbook, you must understand your strengths. Remember that everyone's destination is different, so it stands to reason that all playbooks vary as well. We all have natural skills and talents, and you should use these as a baseline or jumping-off point.

That way, you'll ascend more quickly. Oprah recognized her natural talent for public speaking and started her career as a teenager at a Nashville radio station. How do you go about applying your natural strengths to benefit your work and those around you? Start with research and discovery. Arguably, she has achieved her successes due to her charismatic leadership style. Charismatic leadership and the transformational leadership style are closely related, sharing common characteristics.

According to Sparks , confidence, humility, compassion, and good communication skills are some of the characteristics of charismatic leaders. As a leader, she has demonstrated that success can be achieved, and she has confidence in her abilities.

Winfrey is known to make business decisions based on partnerships as opposed to profits Garson, , an assertion that shows Winfrey is compassionate and cares about the other people she works with.

Toma and Marinescu posited that Jobs was an obsessive perfectionist who was egoistic, impulsive, overly critical, persuasive, and rough with people, personal traits that ideally embody autocratic leadership. However, even though such characteristics may appear detrimental on the surface, they played an important role in enabling Jobs to pursue and accomplish his dreams during his tenure at Apple Inc.

For example, Jobs believed that ensuring efficiency required the best-suited candidates to occupy work positions. A modern culture that emphasizes democratic institutions may regard autocratic leadership as unethical. Charismatic and autocratic leadership differ in several aspects such as authority, behavior orientation, autonomy, control, and suitability. In autocratic leadership as practiced by Steve Jobs, a clear demarcation exists between leaders and followers.

In this context, leaders exercise absolute power to command and make decisions. In contrast, charismatic leaders value their followers; thus, they tend to consult with others before making important business decisions.

Such leaders show low levels of control and supervision, allowing their followers to enjoy independence and freedom in thinking and expressing their ideas.

Winfrey engages in extensive consultations with her followers and partners, embodying the spirit of charismatic leadership. However, in charismatic leadership, power is delegated to different governing groups, and followers provide input wherever necessary. Another difference between the two leadership styles is found in behavior orientation. Under autocratic leadership, behaviors are task-oriented, fixing the focus on completing specified duties.

In comparison, charismatic leadership is relationship-oriented, whereby leaders focus on creating functional relationships with their followers by sharing power and opinions. The two leadership styles also differ in origin. However, despite their many differences, these two leadership styles also share some common characteristics. Both Winfrey and Jobs can be seen as inspirational, motivating their followers to become better at their duties.

Moreover, the leaders using either style under consideration are visionary: they know what they want and how to get it.

Leadership styles affect organizational performance in different ways. Major affected areas include decision-making and employee performance, which in turn determine the overall organizational performance through productivity. Autocratic and charismatic leadership styles differ on how these processes are executed, but the guiding principles are the same.

Winfrey and Jobs used different routes to achieve the same goals, including organizational success. While the goals may be the same for both types of leadership style, employee morale determines performance and productivity. Autocratic leaders make decisions about what is required to achieve set objectives, passing that information on to their subordinates to execute without question. Their employees are motivated to achieve the set objectives by associated fear or rewards.

In comparison, charismatic leaders like Winfrey engage subordinates in setting organizational objectives along with the associated rewards to be gained after achieving the goals. Their employees are motivated because they co-own the vision of the organization with their leaders. In either case, the exercised leadership style motivates employees, increasing their productivity, and this aspect directly affects organizational performance.

Leadership style also determines how decisions are made, impacting organizational performance Klein et al. Decision-making determines what, how, and when different duties should be undertaken to move an organization forward. Under charismatic leadership, subordinates are involved in decision-making, while autocratic leaders make decisions on their own.

No matter which process is used in decision-making, the final decisions will affect how an organization performs. The charismatic leadership style has several inherent weaknesses. Such traits allow her to gain and sustain loyalty from her followers and from the community.

She is open to new experiences, which is evident in many of the titles and roles that she play. What is even better is that she owns them all. She is conscientious in everything that she does, exercising fairness to others. She cares about others beyond her circle, which is why she set up charitable organizations that garnered here the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil honor in America.

Transformational leadership is covered in four components: 1. She strategically selects members of her team. She values excellent mentorship. She values her customers. She strategically extends her brand. She takes care of her employees. She dreams big. She clearly communicates her visions. She cares for the community. Lead like Oprah Winfrey and you are likely to write your own success story.