Leadership and Management

Leadership and Management

According to my father, having leadership and being a manager can be defined in many different ways. On the website Dictionary.com, Leadership is defined as “the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group.” In the Merriam-Webster online Dictionary, Manager is defined as “a person that supervises under the direction of someone else.” Oprah Winfrey epitomizes these two terms to the fullest.

In times past, there have been great leaders that embody the definitions above. There are others that try their hardest and still do not meet the mark of a good leader. Some leaders naturally have the capability to change people and organizations. One person in particular is Oprah Winfrey who epitomizes the two terms listed above in its entirety.

Oprah grew up in the state of Mississippi. She was raised poor, black, and overweight was not enough to stop Oprah from pursuing the dreams she had for herself. In 1986, She formed her first production company called Harpo Productions. The production company was formed with the intention of bringing quality entertainment projects into production. In 1988, Oprah made television history by becoming the first woman to own and produce her own talk show. This show was very successful allowing her to achieve great financial success. Several years later, The Oprah Magazine was successfully introduced to the world. In 2003 Oprah Winfrey became the first African-American woman to reach billionaire status as seen in the Forbes magazine list of American billionaires.

Oprah is trusted by many people. She is both a manager and a leader. As a manager, she maintains and controls the organization. As the leader, she innovates and inspires others to become the best they can be. Oprah presents a realistic image of the future that can be shared by others. Her subordinates are stimulated in an intellectual way, and she is very charismatic in the eyes of her fans. Members of her company feel she has built an atmosphere of openness in the organization. As the head of her organization, she deals with difficult issues in a candid manner. It is said she listens well and shares information fully. Oprah is the type of leader who interacts with subordinates and is totally aware of the feelings and emotions of those who surround her.

As the CEO and chairwoman of Harpo Entertainment Group, Oprah performs a number of different roles and functions. One of the major function of leaders are the creation and development of a culture and climate for their group or organization (Nahavandi and Malekzadeh, 1993a; Schein, 2004). One of Oprah’s major roles is to provide her organization