My Leadership Role Model – Oprah Winfrey

"What material success does is provide you with the ability to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is being able to make a difference, not only in your own life, but in other people's lives." 
-Oprah Winfrey

Everyone is a leader today, but what inspires me most about Oprah Winfrey is that her life resonates with the emancipation of women in the world.

Oprah Winfrey is a great example of how the roles of women have changed in the past century. Oprah has prospered in life greatly and has risen up from a poor childhood of abuse and molestation. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi where she was raised by her grandmother. She ran away from home at age 13 to a juvenile center but was declined because there was not enough beds. So as a last resort she moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she lived with her dad. Her dad was very strict on her making her read and do book reports weekly, always pushing her to be the best she could be. Oprah attended college at attended Tennessee State University, where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing Arts. Her father's high standards inspired her to aim for and achieve more from life. Oprah became involved in several groups and pursued her interests in media and journalism while at school. Even though her early years in life where filled with hardship, she was always gifted with intelligence and she graduated as an honors student. 

Oprah began her talk show career in 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV news as a co-anchor, and in 1978 discovered her talent for hosting talk shows when she became co-host of WJZ-TV's "People Are Talking," while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter. In January 1984, she came to Chicago to host WLS-TV's "AM Chicago," a faltering local talk show. In less than a year, she turned "AM Chicago" into the hottest show in town. The format was soon expanded to one hour, and in September 1985 it was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Seen nationally since September 8, 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" became the number one talk show in national syndication in less than a year. In June 1987, in its first year of eligibility, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received three Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Outstanding Direction. In June 1988, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Talk/Service Program, and she herself received the International Radio and Television Society's "Broadcaster of the Year" Award. She was the youngest person and only the fifth woman ever to receive the honor in IRTS's 25-year history. 

Oprah started her own production company called HARPO Productions, making her the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show. Ms. Winfrey defied the odds stacked against her in life and used her abilities as an entrepreneur to take Harpo, Inc. from a small, five-person production company to a 430-person multimedia conglomerate. “Today, she is one of a handful of black billionaires across the globe; her net worth estimated at $2.5 billion”

Oprah has lived her life to her motto "It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always." Oprah's talk show is unrivaled in popularity it is shown in over 100 other countries. Oprah's show is so popular because it created a reputation for tackling causes in her programs and ventures that other leading media and entertainment companies ignore.

She is most interested in productions that no one else will do because the topics are not sensational enough. Because of Oprah's economic status and because of her other talents, she brings things to the screen that no one else will be able to do. She can develop or buy something that no one else will think is commercially viable because she thinks the message is important and people should see it. "If we can make money, great. And if we don't, well, there are other reasons to do projects besides making money." One of the most influential projects Oprah has tackled are literacy an on-air reading club she started in September 1996, "Oprah's Book Club," boosted book sales so dramatically that she quickly became the most important book marketer in any communications medium. Books featured on her show have often been shot to the top of the best-sellers list.

A video on her emphasizing on finding your true calling in life:

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprah-on-Finding-Your-Calling-Video/topic/oprahshow

Oprah is very generous donating millions of dollars to charities every year and even opening her own charity. The Oprah Winfrey Foundation was established to support the inspiration, empowerment and education of women, children and families around the world. Through this private charity, Oprah has awarded hundreds of grants to organizations that carry out this vision. She has contributed millions of dollars towards providing a better education for underserved students who have merit but no means. She serves as the national spokesperson for A Better Chance, an organization that provides academically talented high school students, predominantly from inner city school districts, the opportunity to attend many of the nation's finest college preparatory schools. 

She created The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program, which gives scholarships to students determined to use their education to give back to their communities, in the United States and abroad. Oprah is making a difference in the lives of children by partnering with the South African Ministry of Education to build public schools for girls, providing them with the opportunity for an education and a chance for a better future. The Oprah Winfrey Foundations continue to expand Oprah's global humanitarian efforts in developing countries. Oprah has also made generous contributions to charitable organizations and institutions such as Morehouse College, the Harold Washington Library, the United Negro College Fund, and Tennessee State University. 

Choosing 152 of South Africa's neediest girls to attend, Oprah Winfrey opened up a $40 million dollar + Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Oprah's dreams turned into a pure reality. Oprah always wanted to open up a first class school for impoverished yet extremely gifted South African girls. Winfrey literally built a dream for herself and 152 financially disadvantaged, yet academically talented girls who never had a chance to be nurtured and educated through an academic system. This school was built to teach and transform girls how to become leaders and strong, powerful individuals. The educational environment provided at this academy is beyond wonderful, serving as a model school for all others. With the tremendous help of the Academy, Oprah helps to see these chosen girls develop into influential leaders of South Africa. 

"I now know this is why I never had children myself. These are my girls and I love them, every one of them."-Oprah Winfrey

Oprah is a large influence on women because when watching the "Oprah Winfrey Show", television audience members enter into a socially equal relationship with Oprah. In this socially equal interaction, the audience has the experience of face-to-face communication when watching television. A conversational style of speech, a direct gaze at the camera, or direct reference to the audience gives the viewers an apparent role in the interaction. This allows them to feel that they have a one-to-one relationship with her. It is this phenomenon that motivates women viewers to take what she say's seriously and influence their daily lives. Oprah also has an influence in politics. Oprah's commitments extend to her initiation of the National Child Protection Act in 1991, she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database of convicted child abusers, sex offense charges, violent crimes, arson, and felony drug charges. On December 20, 1993, President Clinton signed the national "Oprah Bill" into law. The database can be used by any child care provider and law enforcement agency in America to conduct a background check to determine if a job applicant can be trusted with your children. Oprah has changed the sterotypical role of women in society today. She has lived through a tough childhood, built an empire, and touched the hearts of thousands.

Here is a video of her uniting a mother and daughter after 42 years..

http://bit.ly/2Jh3fD

An example of her touching lives is:

When “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was first broadcast in Saudi Arabia in November 2004 on a Dubai-based satellite channel, it became an immediate sensation among young Saudi women. Within months, it had become the highest-rated English-language program among women 25 and younger, an age group that makes up about a third of Saudi Arabia’s population.

“The Oprah Winfrey Show,” with Arabic subtitles, is broadcast five days a week on MBC4, a channel developed by the MBC Group.

Today, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” with Arabic subtitles, is broadcast twice each weekday on MBC4, a three-year-old channel developed by the MBC Group with the Arab woman in mind. The show’s guests, self-improvement tips, and advice on family relationships — as well as Ms. Winfrey’s clothes and changing hairstyles — are eagerly analyzed by Saudi women from a wide range of social backgrounds and income levels.

The largest-circulation Saudi women’s magazine, Sayidaty, devotes a regular page to Ms. Winfrey, and dog-eared copies of her official magazine, O, which is not sold in the kingdom, are passed around by women who collect them during trips abroad.

The particulars of Ms. Winfrey’s personal story have resonated with a broad audience of Saudi women in a way that few other Western imports have, explained Mazen Hayek, a spokesman for the MBC Group.

“She talks about racism, for example,” she said. “This is something that Saudis are very concerned about, because many of us feel that we’re judged for the way we veil or for our skin color. I have a friend whose driver touched her in an inappropriate way. She was very young at the time, but she felt very guilty about it — and Oprah helped her to speak about this abuse with her mother.”

Thus she has been a leader throughout her life, and inspires me in every respect!