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Oprah Winfrey is known to and beloved by many Americans. Her story is impressive: she was the first female African-American news anchor in Nashville, followed up by a turn as a morning talk-show host before creating the infamous and iconic Oprah Winfrey Show (Oprah Winfrey). She notoriously overcame a tumultuous and abusive childhood to become the living legend that she is today. She is known as a great leader, utilizing a charismatic leadership style that draws people to her and keeps them captivated.
Charismatic leaders have many attributes; they are described as having a strong sense of moral values, self-confidence, having a dominant personality and a fierce desire to influence others (Northouse, 2013). Oprah’s leadership style fits with this definition; she is self-confident, dominant, and most definitely influences others. Her “Oprah’s Favorite Things” episodes, which aired annually on her Oprah Winfrey Show and listed her favorite products, were the most watched of all of her shows (Oprah’s Favorite, 2013). The audience at home was always dying to find out what Oprah recommended as the “must have”… the cream of the crop. I am guilty of being an Oprah junky too – the “Favorite Things” episodes were almost my favorite! This just proves how strong her influence was – she could sell out a product in minutes by mentioning it on her show.
There are probably many leadership styles that could apply to Oprah: Transformational, Authentic, and possibly even the Trait Theory, but in my opinion, it is her charisma that helped put her at the top of the entertainment industry. She continues to defy the odds by developing her own television programming as the head of OWN, her television network, and continues to exhibit the kind of charismatic leadership style that has served her so well.
References
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Oprah’s Favorite Things. (2013, September 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:25, November 17, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oprah%27s_Favorite_Things&oldid=572988098
Oprah Winfrey. (n.d.). In People. Retrieved from http://www.people.com/people/oprah_winfrey/biography/
Oprah Winfrey is such a great role model. As you stated her charisma is soaring. Being a leader can be a challenging role. A good leader should have the appropriate mix of function ability and personal ability. A leader should have control and be in command but not be pushy or bossy. A leader should create a vision and make sure that her followers understand how their commitment to the vision is vital for success. Some important characteristics of a leader are trustworthy, creativity, confidence and the ability to communicate. Oprah certainly fits within these perimeters. Good choice on a charismatic and inspirational leader!