KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION

OPRAH WINFREY – LEADERSHIP BIOGRAPHYPrepared by Tat-Seng Chiam

KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION

Biography and Accomplishments

Biography

Accomplishments

• Born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a

teenage single mother

• Later raised in an inner-city Milwaukee

neighborhood

• Childhood rape incident/teen pregnancy

• Radio job in high school, co-anchored local

Chicago evening news at 19

• Host of the 25-season Oprah Winfrey Show

• Chairwoman/CEO of Harpo Productions

and the Oprah Winfrey Network

• Net worth of about $3 billion, making her

the richest African-American of our time

• Awarded the Presidential Medal of

Freedom, and an honorary doctorate

degree from Harvard in 2013

KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION

Be Real

Guardian of Trust

• Made decision to own her TV talk show in

its entirety – enabled her to be authentic

• Refused promotional revenue

opportunities – built credibility with viewer

base

Engaged Listener and Vulnerable Sharer

• Ensures that show participants feel

validated and heard

• Opens up about personal struggles e.g.

child abuse, weight loss

KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION

Be Whole

Champion of Near and Dear Causes

• Elevates and champions causes that she

holds dear from her home, community and

self domains into her professional work

• Key example is education - $400m

donation to educational causes, opening of

the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for

Girls

Redefiner of Work

• Conceives of work as not an obligation, but

as something that can be incredibly fun

and fulfilling

• ensures that her employees feel valued

e.g. 5-year anniversary gift of $5,000; she

generally inspires incredibly loyalty

KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION

Be Innovative

Generous Giver

• Impresses with the scale and audacity of

her giving efforts

• Emphasizes that an unexpected surprise

for your stakeholders can help build trust

Thinker on the “Have-it-all?” Debate

• “You can have it all. You just can’t have it

all at once”.

• Argues success should be evaluated on a

longer-term horizon

KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION

Lessons Learned

• Ensure that others you engage with feel

genuinely listened to, and valued

• Be vulnerable, and recognize the power of

personal narrative to bond and inspire;

setbacks can be both a fuel for motivation

and a way to connect

• Find ways to integrate personal causes into

professional endeavors

• Make sure that work is fulfilling and fun

• Think of ways to pleasantly surprise others

• Know what success looks like, but don’t

feel the need to rush to get there