Oprah Winfrey and Assessed Leadership - Term Paper Example

Oprah Winfrey: the inspiration leadership traits and contrast Abstract This article provides the reader with an opportunity to take a bird’s eye view of the life and personality of Oprah Winfrey and her emergence as an internationally recognized leader of many hearts. Moreover, the text provides clear, concrete and precise information regarding the leadership style and traits and personality characteristics of Oprah Winfrey and presents a contrast between the personalities and leadership practices of greatest leaders of all time: George Washington, Eleanor Roosevelt and Oprah Winfrey. The text takes the reader on a ride commencing from a brief explanatory introduction of who Oprah is to a more detailed plot of her early life and the transition to becoming an inspirational leader. The article progresses on to describe the leadership qualities which Oprah possesses together with her leadership style. Moving forward, the readers can find a concise portrayal of the two major types of leadership and how they were exhibited by George Washington and Eleanor Roosevelt. The text also attempts to provide a short contrast between the three leaders, their lives and their styles of leadership. The sources used in this article are authentic, true and reliable. Moreover, the readers can also find a short conclusion of the whole discussion and a very brief summary of the account. Introduction Known worldwide for her high – flying, self-named television show, Oprah Gail Winfrey has, over a short span of 25 years, achieved the heights of success where many could only dream to reach. From being powerful to admirable and influential, Oprah has gained so much popularity, first as a radio co-anchor, then a television star and later as a producer, that people confidently refer to her as only ‘Oprah’ having assurance that nobody is going to confuse the name of the famous celebrity with some other person. Oprah has reached such point of fame, respect and inspiration that today she leads the hearts of millions around the globe. Oprah Winfrey: Birth and early years Having been born on the 29th of January, 1954, as an illegitimate child of Vernon Winfrey and Vernita Lee in Mississippi, Oprah lived her early life in the rural areas with her grandparents. Although she entered the world as an unlawful child, the role of a mother was of quite significance to her, which is depicted by her words: “Mothers are really the true spiritual leaders”. The initial era of her childhood life was shadowed by poverty and was full of hardships for Oprah which certainly operated as a scar on the building-up personality characteristics of her. Not surprisingly, she soon turned out to be a hostile and a short tempered teenager which quite clearly reflected the dark days of her past; precisely: being born as an unlawful child, being oblivious of the identity of the true father, being raped at a delicate, small age and becoming a pregnant teenager at a minute age of fourteen. However, soon after the boy she gave birth to died, the ongoing series of gloomy events began to depict signs of considerable changes to her life as well as her personality. Hence, quite expectedly, having been the part of circumstances which any other child would barely see at the tiny age as Oprah’s, she was deemed to develop in herself a personality and character different from the ordinary. Kelley, K. (2010) In 1968, Oprah moved to Nashville, Tennessee where her father resided and where she started a relatively more organized, more religious and a better tenure of her teenage life. Under strict supervision to attend Church, do the house chores and attain high grades at school, her personality started to flourish gradually and it was in Tennessee, perhaps, that first ‘cultivated’ the soon - to - become transformational and charismatic media leader of the United States of America. Kelley, K. (2010), Garson, H. S. (2011).  Oprah took part in numerous awards and competitions and won many of them. Having become a highly inspirational and the most popular girl in her senior class, Oprah was increasingly known and admired by many people even at this young age. To add to her fame and destiny, she left the college before graduation and joined the radio as a co-anchor, which was perhaps her first explicit public step towards becoming a national star. Soon after, she moved to and got settled in Chicago where she played a lead role in the movie The Color Purple which brought her an Academy Awards nomination and broadened her path of success as a media superstar and giving her national and international-level recognition. She also was the first African-American celebrity to host a nationally-aired television program. Kelley, K. (2010) Garson, H. S. (2011).  Oprah Winfrey: Emergence as a leader Travelling to Nashville to live with her father and his wife, the Winfreys, proved to be the primary turning point of Oprah’s life. Her father and his wife, Vernon and Zelda Winfrey, taught her to read and provided her with support and stability and made her disciplined. Oprah recalls the event in good words and explains that being sent to her father was the factor which prevented her from being misguided and becoming a criminal, had she contrarily used her instincts differently. As Oprah spoke: “"As strict as he was, he had some concerns about me making the best of my life, and would not accept anything less than what he thought was my best." http://www.ukessays.com/. It was in Nashville that the skills and discipline, which got bracketed together with her disposition, began to shape up her personality into that of a leader’s. Koehn, N. F., & New Word City. (2010) Oprah Winfrey’s name was also included in the list of 100 most influential people of the 20th century by the Time Magazine. She also got awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. http://www.ukessays.com/ Oprah Winfrey: Traits and characteristics The secret behind the successful shift from a low-profile poverty-filled life to becoming an influential global leader are the many superior characteristics and traits of which her personality is comprised of. Firstly, the ability to communicate effectively, efficiently and openly aids her in playing a positive role as a liaison to the social and professional environment. Since the age of three, Oprah was confident enough to recite Bible in the Church as well as to address effectively a large audience. This trait perhaps was gifted to her by nature and it was the most salient reason for her continued success which followed later on as she progressed in her career to become a radio co-anchor and then later a television show host. Today, she is capable of speaking to millions of viewers over the television. Secondly, Oprah is intelligent, sharp and possesses a ‘business-type’ mind. While being sincere and passionate about her work, she is also very expressive, bold and confident as well as determined towards achieving her self-set goals. Her viewers have an empathic relationship with her where they tend to believe and confide in her, in her words and in her personality. This sense of belongingness to her of the viewers signifies the roots from which her mighty inspiration and influence take birth. Hence, the type of leadership traits and features which she possesses may be clubbed under a single roof known as the Charismatic type of leadership. Types of leadership: 1. Charismatic Charisma refers to the charm or magnetism of personality. A charismatic leader is the one who is admired by his followers, by the virtue of the innate qualities he or she possesses, for instance articulateness, good physical appearance or charm. Our past experiences and social conditioning tend to associate such qualities in our minds with other positive attributes such as intelligence and trustworthiness. As a result, we commence to trust, believe and even admire and get influenced by such a role model. A Charismatic Leader is the one from whom the people openly and readily accept any piece of communication or information as is the case between Oprah Winfrey and her millions of fans globally. Her words strongly endorse whatever is the subject matter under consideration. Having seen the worst poses of life, Oprah is perceived by the viewers to be more ‘familiar’ of their situations. Moreover, the traits of speaking expressively and disclosing her own weaknesses make her stand out from the rest. Types of leadership: 2. Transformational Transformational leadership is similar to charismatic style of leadership. The transformational leader aims to transform the existing scenario and followers by adopting a visionary position, articulating a vision, stimulating action and adhering to individual needs of his or her followers. http://www.ukessays.com/ Other Leaders: Roosevelt Another great leader of the 20th century was Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was a high-profile, persuasive and an inspirational first lady of the United States of America. Quite similar to that of Oprah’s, Roosevelt’s childhood was also not a bed full of roses. She undertook hardships in her young age after her parents died even before she had stepped into her teenage life. Sorrow, grief as well as loneliness long casted dark shadows on her delicate life as a child. However, she too, likewise as Oprah Winfrey, was an empathic listener; another leader with a heart. She is renowned due to her immeasurable struggles for the African Americans, women, labor and the poor. She travelled a lot, wrote newspaper articles and conducted numerous press conferences all for the protection of the rights of women. After her husband Franklin Roosevelt died, she became a spokesperson to the United Nations where she contributed generously towards the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. With her self-less, soulful efforts towards the safeguarding of human rights, and particularly women, she figuratively altered the traditional, typical role of the first lady and set an unmatchable example for many others to follow. All in all, Roosevelt was perceived widely as a transformational leader with the undisputed urge to fight against moral and social injustice and for the cause of the ordinary, poor and women. Northouse, P. G. (2011) Other leaders: George Washington One of the greatest inspirational leaders of all times was George Washington. Born in a rich family on a huge plantation, he was a well educated and disciplined child: contrary to Oprah’s case. He was admired, perhaps due to his perceived integrity, by almost every citizen of the United States. He was self-less, brave, a great military commander, fashionable ( reportedly the one who was conscious about his manifestation) and is reported to have kept a regular written record of his daily work. He achieved success both in the war fields as well as on the President’s chair. His strategies and tactics led to victory in the battle against Great Britain in the famous Revolutionary War. His keen interest in the politics of the country could not separate him from the throne and he was elected as the undisputed, first president of the United States. George Washington carried within him wisdom, generosity, bravery, virtuousness and modesty. He never had the greed for authority but instead stepped down himself from the President’s position and, earlier, from the rank of military commander. This disinterestedness in the character of Washington led him to become an inspirational and admirable personality whom the people perceived as trustworthy. He is also remembered for his rational and correct decisions as well as the acumen he provided to the government. He was a charismatic personality having a handsome appearance, brilliance of mind tactics and strategies and the ability of empathizing with others. Similarities and contrast: Confronting the conflicts, listening empathically and consciously, discussing major policy differences pertaining to the human cause and the willingness to fight for what she thought was right were amongst her many exceptional personality traits. Roosevelt was simple, straight-forward, bold and fought for social justice on every platform reachable by her. Quite likewise, many of the traits of Roosevelt have also been exhibited by Oprah namely the kindness, empathic and careful listening to those in sorrow, enlightening the people with hope of a better destiny and future and the keenness to strive willingly for the righteous cause. Contrary to these are the minor differences in the personalities of the fore mentioned leaders. While Oprah gained popularity through media and art, Roosevelt became famous by the virtue of her persevere to protect human rights. Although both of them lived a difficult early life and faced similar problems resulting of poverty and family issues, yet their strategies, characteristics and pathway towards success are quite varied; Oprah became a leader due to the charisma she induced in her personality after becoming a television icon while Roosevelt tried to actually ‘transform’ the situation by physically striving for her objectives. Moreover, Washington was a charismatic personality who inspired his followers and subordinates with his exceptional decision making abilities and strategic thinking. He, again, was a good listener and communicator but his fame came not from media or fighting for human rights but from the wars he led and the contributions he made to the United States’ armed forces. However, unlike Oprah and Roosevelt, Washington tended to remain reserved and not very expressive. Northouse, P. G. (2011) Conclusion: To conclude, All these leaders inspired the hearts of their followers due to the traits and characteristics they possessed within themselves. However, all these three leaders had their own route to success and completely different scenarios in which they strived towards their goals. Although these three differed in terms of their dispositions, yet all three of these leaders were inspirational, admirable and perceived as trustworthy by the masses. Moreover, their leadership qualities best suited the scenario in which they lived and strived. Summary: Summing it all up, it can be deduced from the text here that no one style of leadership is perfect and can be set as a standard, rather a contingency approach should be opted when assessing and analyzing the leadership and management styles, types and traits. A leader and leadership style that ‘best fits’ the related scenario, environment and circumstances is the best one to be used to lead. References: Kelley, K. (2010). Oprah: A biography. New York: Crown. Gini, A., & Green, R. M. (2013). Ten virtues of outstanding leaders: Leadership and character. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Koehn, N. F., & New Word City. (2010). Oprah, leading with heart. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education Pub. as FTPress. Northouse, P. G. (2011). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. London: SAGE. Top of Form Garson, H. S. (2011). Oprah Winfrey: A biography. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood.Bottom of Form Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey Leadership Quality comparison. (n.d.).http://www.ukessays.com/. 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