OPRAH

WINFREY: A
CHARASMATIC
LEADER
OPRAH WINFREY has become a household
name especially in the west, with her talk
show stint as a host and then a producer,
author, businesswoman and whatnot.

She is a picture perfect example of what its

known to be called a charismatic leader.

A charismatic leader is expected to be an

empathy, excellent communicator,
confident, motivational and optimistic and
Oprah is the flag-bearer of all such
characteristics

Lets delve deeper into the leadership traits

showcased by her:
 LOCUS OF CONTROL

Being a SA victim, Oprah never

thought of giving up and went on
to become America’s first black
female billionaire.
She has said on multiple
occasions that luck is preparation
moment of opportunity.
This makes it pretty clear that
Oprah has a very internalized
locus of control i.e. she does not
believe in leaving matters upto the
fates or destiny but rather
stepping into the real world and
finding opportunities.
 Integrity
In the beginning of her show, many
sensational and controversial topics were
discussed to reach a larger mass audience.
However, one time a woman became aware
of her husband’s infidelity on national
television which led to a lot of heartbreak.
This encouraged Oprah to introspect on the
content of her show and eventually she
switched her show’s format with more focus
towards ‘self-improvement’, ‘ self-
empowerment’ and healing.
This shows a great level of humility as well as
integrity as she did not worry about her
ratings and instead inspired other people to
change their viewpoint a s as well.
Sensitivity
towards others
Winfrey has always been a big flag-bearer of
giving back and helping the people who need it.
She never shies away from charity and with the
help of her exposure as well as various
organizations owned by her, has raised several
million dollars for a variety of causes she
believes in such as her Angel Network has raised
more than $80 million, established 60 schools in
13 countries, supported women's shelters,
created scholarships, and funded over 200
homes through Habitat for Humanity.
She has been participating and hosting such
charitable endeavors and has inspired people
around her to do so as well.
Self-confidence
Oprah has used her talk show and invoked a
feeling of self confidence in not only herself but
all of her users across the globes.
She is always big on self-care and self love which
in turn fosters confidence.
Oprah has stated exclusively the amount of
times she has been ragged due to her skin tone
or her ‘frizzy hair’ etc. which a lot of black
people get subjected to.

However, she has never let those things get to

her and is always urging people to do the same.

Confidence comes not from strength, but from

vulnerability
-Oprah Winfrey
 Intelligence
Oprah Winfrey IQ is said to be 140. It was her
grandma who discovered Oprah IQ and
taught her how to read since she was just 3
years old. Growing up in a miserable
childhood did not prevent her from
displaying her genius and intelligence in her
career, which is most evident in her huge
fortune and resounding success in the world
at the present. With her success, Oprah built
her own book club, a magazine called "O"
Magazine as well as owning a TV talk show.
She has also stated explicitly that emotional
intelligence is something she is much more
proficient in and that it has always been her
strength. She has an astounding capability of
understanding people and making them feel
heard and understood.
Communication
Oprah is a great orator and an excellent
presenter. Whether it's talking to people 1:1 in
an interview or addressing a theatre full of
thousands of people, or communicating with
her staff, she is clear and confident in her
articulation.
She can get her message across in a powerful
way without flinching about her opinions and
doubting her vision.
Anyone can convey information. But a leader is
the one who can influence people to act on the
information they give. Information sharing,
motivating and influencing with words are at
the core of strong leadership.
Thank you!!