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