A study on charismatic leadership of Oprah Winfrey

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CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP
The charismatic leadership style relies on the charm and persuasiveness of the
leader. Charismatic leaders are driven by their convictions and commitment to
their cause. Charismatic leaders also are sometimes called transformational leaders
because they share multiple similarities. Their main difference is focus and
audience. Charismatic leaders often try to make the status quo better, while
transformational leaders focus on transforming organizations into the leader’s
vision.
Oprah Winfrey
Author, Speaker, philanthropist, television producer, American Media Executive,
Talk show host.
A leader is one who has the ability to influence a group or an individual who was
the achievement of a goal. A charismatic leader is one who has charm in their
personality, the way they walk talk withstand present themselves the words have a
powerful throw. Oprah Gail Winfrey is one such individual, and actress, author,
motivational speaker and also the host of the popular Opera show she has been
called many a time as “the queen of all media”, she has written numerous books,
charmed everyone with her speeches at various prestigious places. Her focus is
always on literature, improvement, mindfulness, spirituality. She has bought
taboos about LGBT, black people and women in the 20th century. In 1976,
Winfrey moved to Baltimore, where she hosted a hit television chat show, People
Are Talking. Afterward, she was recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her
own morning show. She later became the host of her own, wildly popular
program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired for 25 seasons, from 1986 to
2011. That same year, Winfrey launched her own TV network, the Oprah Winfrey
Network (OWN).

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Early Life:
Born to a teenage single mother in rural Mississippi on 29 January 1954, raised in
inner-city Milwaukee During her teenage years she was even molested she had
given birth to a son prematurely and it died in infancy, later on, she decided that
she would never become a mother because she was never mothered well. She was
later sent to live with her father a barber in Tennessee. Didn’t have high school
days she landed up in a job in a radio station by the age of 19 she was a co-anchor
for a local evening news show on the radio. She later launched her own production
company and became internationally renowned. She has been an inspiration for
all. She has been ranked as the most influential women in the world multiple
Times. He was an excellent orator from her childhood days at her grandmother
had realized it. Shiraz Golden oratory contest which helped her achieve a full
scholarship to Tennessee State University where she could fulfill her dream of
studying communication. When she was 12 years old she was living with her
father for a short period of time as she was not in a very good financial condition
should we can make pictures at social gatherings and one time or $500 for speech
from then on she knew that she wanted to be paid to talk that was her passion she
wanted to spread her ideas to everyone. Hence she is well known for her charm
and power of her voice. Having face poverty in her early years she decided to give
whatever possible to the unprivileged so that they do not have to go through what
she had to go through. A force acting break was in the movie “The Color purple”
and Oprah show that is seen as the Winfrey Show skyrocketed after that. Now is
one of the wealthiest woman in America and also the highest paid entertainer in
the world. Her values, virtues, and her divinely powerful voice has influenced the
lives of millions of others.
Career:
Working in local media, she was both the youngest news anchor and the first black
female news anchor at Nashville's WLAC-TV. She moved to Baltimore's WJZ-
TV in 1976 to co-anchor the six o'clock news. In 1977, she was removed as co-
anchor and worked in lower profile positions at the station. She was then recruited
to join Richard Sher as co-host of WJZ's local talk show People Are Talking,
which premiered on August 14, 1978. She also hosted the local version of Dialing
for Dollars.
In 1983, Winfrey relocated to Chicago to host WLS-TV's low-rated half-hour
morning talk show, AM Chicago. The first episode aired on January 2, 1984.

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Within months after Winfrey took over, the show went from last place in the
ratings to overtaking Donahue as the highest-rated talk show in Chicago. The
movie critic Ebert persuaded her to sign a syndication deal with King World. Ebert
predicted that she would generate 40 times as much revenue as his television
show, At the Movies. It was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show, expanded to a full
hour and broadcast nationally beginning September 8, 1986. Winfrey's syndicated
show brought in double Donahue's national audience, displacing Donahue as the
number-one daytime talk show in America. Their much-publicized contest was the
subject of enormous scrutiny.
TV columnist Howard Rosenberg said, "She's a roundhouse, a full course meal,
big, brassy, loud, aggressive, hyper, laughable, lovable, soulful, tender, low-down,
earthy, and hungry. And she may know the way to Phil Donahue's
jugular." Newsday's Les Payne observed, "Oprah Winfrey is sharper than
Donahue, wittier, more genuine, and far better attuned to her audience, if not the
world" and Martha Bayles of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It's a relief to see a
gab-monger with a fond but realistic assessment of her own cultural and religious
roots."
In the early years of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the program was classified as a
tabloid talk show. In the mid-1990s, Winfrey adopted a less tabloid-oriented
format, hosting shows on broader topics such as heart disease, geopolitics,
spirituality, and meditation, interviewing celebrities on social issues they were
directly involved with, such as cancer, charity work, or substance abuse, and
hosting televised giveaways including shows where every audience member
received a new car (donated by General Motors) or a trip to Australia (donated by
Australian tourism bodies).
In addition to her talk show, Winfrey also produced and co-starred in the 1989
drama miniseries The Women of Brewster Place and a short-lived spin-off,
Brewster Place. As well as hosting and appearing on television shows, Winfrey
co-founded the women's cable television network Oxygen. She is also the
president of Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backwards).
On January 15, 2008, Winfrey and Discovery Communications announced plans
to change Discovery Health Channel into a new channel called OWN: Oprah
Winfrey Network. It was scheduled to launch in 2009 but was delayed, and
actually launched on January 1, 2011.
The series finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on May 25, 2011.
In January 2017, CBS announced that Winfrey would join 60 Minutes as a special
contributor on the Sunday evening news magazine program starting in September
2017. The National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2018
opened a special exhibit on Winfrey's cultural influence through television.

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In June 2018, Apple announced a multi-year content partnership with Winfrey, in
which it was agreed that Winfrey would create new original programs exclusively
for Apple's streaming service.
Celebrity interviews
In 1993, Winfrey hosted a rare prime-time interview with Michael Jackson, which
became the fourth most-watched event in American television history as well as
the most watched interview ever, with an audience of 36.5 million. On December
1, 2005, Winfrey appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote the
new Broadway musical The Color Purple, of which she was a producer,
joining the host for the first time in 16 years. The episode was hailed by some as
the "television event of the decade" and helped Letterman attract his largest
audience in more than 11 years: 13.45 million viewers. Although a much-rumored
feud was said to have been the cause of the rift, both Winfrey and Letterman
balked at such talk. "I want you to know, it's really over, whatever you thought
was happening", said Winfrey. On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first
appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, as its season premiere was filmed in
New York City.
In 2006, rappers Ludacris, 50 Cent, and Ice Cube criticized Winfrey for what they
perceived as an anti-hip hop bias. In an interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris
said that Winfrey gave him a "hard time" about his lyrics, and edited comments he
made during an appearance on her show with the cast of the film Crash. He also
said that he wasn't initially invited on the show with the rest of the cast. Winfrey
responded by saying that she is opposed to rap lyrics that "marginalize women",
but enjoys some artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She
said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain her position
and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that
some of his listeners might take it literally. In September 2008, Winfrey received
criticism after Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report reported that Winfrey refused to
have Sarah Palin on her show, allegedly because of Winfrey's support for Barack
Obama. Winfrey denied the report, maintaining that there never was a discussion
regarding Palin's appearing on her show. She said that after she made public her
support for Obama, she decided that she would not let her show be used as a
platform for any of the candidates. Although Obama appeared twice on her show,
those appearances were prior to his declaring himself a candidate. Winfrey added
that Palin would make a fantastic guest and that she would love to have her on the
show after the election, which she did on November 18, 2009.
In 2009, Winfrey was criticized for allowing actress Suzanne Somers to appear on
her show to discuss hormone treatments that are not accepted by mainstream
medicine. Critics have also suggested that Winfrey is not tough enough when
questioning celebrity guests or politicians whom she appears to like. Lisa de
Moraes, a media columnist for The Washington Post, stated: "Oprah doesn't do

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follow-up questions unless you're an author who's embarrassed her by fabricating
portions of a supposed memoir she's plugged for her book club."
Film
In 1985, Winfrey co-starred in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple as distraught
housewife Sofia. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actress for her performance. The Alice Walker novel went on to become a
Broadway musical which opened in late 2005, with Winfrey credited as a
producer. In October 1998, Winfrey produced and starred in the film Beloved,
based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. To
prepare for her role as Sethe, the protagonist and former slave, Winfrey
experienced a 24-hour simulation of the experience of slavery, which included
being tied up and blindfolded and left alone in the woods. Despite major
advertising, including two episodes of her talk show dedicated solely to the film,
and moderate to good critical reviews, Beloved opened to poor box-office results,
losing approximately $30 million. While promoting the movie, co-star Thandie
Newton described Winfrey as "a very strong technical actress and it's because
she's so smart. She's acute. She's got a mind like a razor blade." In 2005, Harpo
Productions released a film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel Their
Eyes Were Watching God. The made-for-television film was based upon a teleplay
by Suzan-Lori Parks and starred Halle Berry in the lead female role.
In late 2008, Winfrey's company Harpo Films signed an exclusive output pact to
develop and produce scripted series, documentaries, and movies for HBO.
Oprah voiced Gussie the goose in Charlotte's Web (2006) and voiced Judge
Bumbleton in Bee Movie (2007), co-starring the voices of Jerry
Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. In 2009, Winfrey provided the voice for the
character of Eudora, the mother of Princess Tiana, in Disney's The Princess and
the Frog and in 2010, narrated the US version of the BBC nature program Life for
Discovery.
In 2018, Winfrey starred as Mrs. Which in the film adaptation of Madeleine
L'Engle's novel A Wrinkle in Time. She also lent her voice to an animated virtual-
reality short film written and directed by Eric Darnell, starring John Legend,
titled Crow: The Legend, telling a native American origin tale.
Radio
On February 9, 2006, it was announced that Winfrey had signed a three-year, $55-
million contract with XM Satellite Radio to establish a new radio channel. The
channel, Oprah Radio, features popular contributors to The Oprah Winfrey
Show and O, The Oprah Magazine including Nate Berkus, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Bob
Greene, Dr. Robin Smith, and Marianne Williamson. Oprah & Friends began
broadcasting at 11:00 am ET, September 25, 2006, from a new studio at Winfrey's
Chicago headquarters. The channel broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week

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on XM Radio Channel 156. Winfrey's contract requires her to be on the air 30
minutes a week, 39 weeks a year.
Publishing and writing
Winfrey has co-authored five books. At the announcement of a weight-loss book
in 2005, co-authored with her personal trainer Bob Greene, it was said that her
undisclosed advance fee had broken the record for the world's highest book
advance fee, previously held by the autobiography of former U.S. President Bill
Clinton.
In 2015, her memoir, The Life You Want, was announced following on her tour of
the same name, and scheduled for publication in 2017, but was "indefinitely
postponed" in 2016.
Winfrey publishes the magazine: O, The Oprah Magazine and from 2004 to 2008
also published a magazine called O At Home. In 2002, Fortune called O, the
Oprah Magazine the most successful start-up ever in the industry. Although its
circulation had declined by more than 10 percent (to 2.4 million) from 2005 to
2008, the January 2009 issue was the best selling issue since 2006. The audience
for her magazine is considerably more upscale than for her TV show; the average
reader earns well above the median for U.S. women.
Inspirations :
She had delivered a speech at Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2014,
where she was asked what was the secret to success, Her reply- her compassion.
Even though she got more her feet stayed on the ground till this day she is
conscious all about her work. The fuel is to be a better person on earth. Everyone
has the same aim to fulfill the highest and the truest expression of oneself as a
human being. Her advice to the younger generation is to focus on what is right
rather than what is wrong. That will change once perspective and they will be
grateful. as it is commonly said there is enough for everyone's need but not
everyone's greed.
Knowing who you are, being able to answer “who am I “and “What do I want” “I
want to fulfill the highest truest Expression Of myself as a human being.” You
have to have a vision of your life even if you do not have a plan. You want to be
in the driver's seat of your life. if not life will drive you. We have a perception
that being known brings is value but the truth fades away with time. Is the service
and signification that you bring to your service is which is lasting? Surface and

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significance equal success. Learn from every mistake experience encounter
because your mistakes force you to see what you should into being more of who
you are.
Charisma:
She is a truly a transformational leader in her own way. Her Passion, her nature,
her charm has today makes her the most influential women in the world. Ability to
inspire trust among people and her down to earth nature, and her desire to help
people understand the needful change self-fulfillment and self-interest
commitment to greatness
Charismatic leaders of visionary master communication skills they have the ability
to inspire trust the enable members to be capable there worm just promoting
personality unconventional Strategies and get desired to romanticize with risk.
True that Opera did not get qualities from her family and she is a self-made the
leader. She is a life in itself. Her famous quotation “don’t worry about success,
work on making something significant and success will naturally follow.” She is
not only a transformational and charismatic leader but also servant leader who has
been constantly working to inspire people for a better life ahead.
"The Oprah Effect":
The power of Winfrey's opinions and endorsement to influence public opinion,
especially consumer purchasing choices, has been dubbed "the Oprah Effect". The
effect has been documented or alleged in domains as diverse as book sales, beef
markets, and election voting. Late in 1996, Winfrey introduced the Oprah's Book
Club segment to her television show. The segment focused on new books and
classics and often brought obscure novels to popular attention. The book club
became such a powerful force that whenever Winfrey introduced a new book as
her book-club selection, it instantly became a best-seller; for example, when she
selected the classic John Steinbeck novel East of Eden, it soared to the top of the
book charts. Being recognized by Winfrey often means a million additional book
sales for an author. In Reading with Oprah: The Book Club that Changed
America (2005), Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey as "a serious American
intellectual who pioneered the use of electronic media, specifically television and
the Internet, to take reading – a decidedly non-technological and highly individual

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act – and highlight its social elements and uses in such a way to motivate millions
of erstwhile non-readers to pick up books."
Online Presence:
Winfrey's company created the Oprah.com website to provide resources and
interactive content relating to her shows, magazines, book club, and public charity.
Oprah.com averages more than 70 million page views and more than six million
users per month, and receives approximately 20,000 e-mails each week. Winfrey
initiated "Oprah's Child Predator Watch List", through her show and website, to
help track down accused child molesters. Within the first 48 hours, two of the
featured men were captured.
Her message for the youth:
She had given a speech at Havard about success and failure.
“There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another
direction. Now, when you’re down there in the hole, it looks like failure. … Give
yourself time to mourn what you think you may have lost, but then here’s the key:
Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter and particularly
your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.
And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an
internal moral, emotional GPS that can tell you which way to go.
So, I say to you, forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness
your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your
heart and success will come to you. So, how do I define success? Let me tell you,
money's pretty nice. I'm not going to stand up here and tell you that it's not about
money, 'cause money is very nice. I like money. It's good for buying things. But
having a lot of money does not automatically make you a successful person. What
you want is money and meaning. You want your work to be meaningful. Because
meaning is what brings the real richness to your life. What you really want is to be
surrounded by people you trust and treasure and by people who cherish you. That's
when you're really rich.
So, lesson one, follow your feelings. If it feels right, move forward. If it doesn't
feel right, don't do it.
Now I want to talk a little bit about failings, because nobody's journey is seamless
or smooth. We all stumble. We all have setbacks. If things go wrong, you hit a

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dead end—as you will—it's just life's way of saying time to change course. So, ask
every failure—this is what I do with every failure, every crisis, every difficult
time—I say, what is this here to teach me? And as soon as you get the lesson, you
get to move on. If you really get the lesson, you pass and you don't have to repeat
the class. If you don't get the lesson, it shows up wearing another pair of pants—or
skirt—to give you some remedial work.
And what I've found is that difficulties come when you don't pay attention to life's
whisper, because life always whispers to you first. And if you ignore the whisper,
sooner or later you'll get a scream. Whatever you resist persists. But, if you ask the
right question—not why is this happening, but what is this here to teach me?—it
puts you in the place and space to get the lesson you need.”
Aspire to be the purest and truest version of them and not to run after success. Do
not be de-motivated by failures. One must be patient to find that moment when
they realize what they want to do in their lives, what makes them happy. Till that
time they must have the courage to pull themselves up. Once they find their
passion they wouldn’t have to feel tired any day of their life.

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End Note:
Oprah Winfrey has become a international figure from a small town girl. Her
views, values and vision have changed the lives of many. What she mentions in
almost all her talks is for people to be the truest and purest version of themselves.
She has continued to defy the odds throughout. She is one strong willed woman
who has defied age and gender and has been successful in her desire to do good.
Her Philosophy is ” No matter how rich and successful you become, the only thing
that matters is happiness. And that comes from cherishing the small moments in
life.” At an early age she had faced many problems but yet again she found her
passion in speaking, to make her voice and her thoughts heard. She has been a
crusader for education and donated millions towards it. She has always been very
outspoken about important issues. Even at this age continues to be fiery and
passionate about everything she does. She is a true leader who inspires people
across the age and demography, someone we look up to.
“You don't become what you want,
you become what you believe.”
― Oprah Winfrey