The act of guiding an organization or a group of people to achieve specific targets or objectives is referred to as leadership. The act of leadership is a complex process that includes both the technical expertise required to govern an organization and the soft skills required to mobilize stakeholders to achieve the intended goal. Leaders can allow ethics to manifest itself in the ordinary operations of the organization by utilizing their soft talents. An ethical leader is someone in charge of an institution or corporation who respects the rights of stakeholders while also upholding the ideals and dignity of the people he serves. An ethical leader is an individual who is guided by principles and values that he or she utilizes in realizing meaningful benefits to the society. Some of the values that are held by an ethical leader include honesty, fairness, and trust. An ethical leader believes that the rights of the people are important to the organization that he or she leads and profits come in second for the organization. Moral leaders also have a quest to develop the capacity of people living and working around them and not seek self-gratification for the work that they are doing. This paper discusses the ethical leadership of Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Winfrey is a television guru and the chief executive officer of the Oprah Winfrey Network. The Oprah Winfrey Network is an organization that has been in existence over the past six years and intends at delivering motivational talks and offering mentorship to young girls believed to be from downtrodden backgrounds. Oprah has been in the television and media industry for decades and has used the influence that she has created within the media fraternity to offer inspiration to many young girls within the United States of America and beyond to have hope in their lives. Oprah has often advocated for the girl child to be granted equal opportunities in education and socio-economic activities to facilitate gender equality and equity. The philanthropic activities that are pioneered by Oprah have also gone a long way to benefit girls through the specific programs that are run by her organization. Currently, the Oprah Winfrey Network runs a foundation that imparts leadership traits to the young girls in South Africa besides facilitating the girls to have improved access to quality education in their home countries.
The leadership qualities of Oprah Winfrey affirm the leadership skills that she possesses. First, Oprah is an emotionally intelligent individual. The emotional intelligence character is evident through her ability to have an understanding of the issues and struggles that people go through in their daily lives and design programs that can help in the alleviation of the suffering that many people go through. Oprah is a motivator and has a heart to empathetic to the different conditions and situations that people are going through in their lives.
Leaders should develop ethical conduct. Leaders are the face of an organization and play a strategic role in developing the moral codes that ought to run the entire team. Ethics has to be the priority of the organization in advancing the best traits that ought to be undertaken by a given company or organization. Oprah Winfrey is a leader who strives to ensure that the ethical values transcend the show that she hosts on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Some of the moral values that are held by Oprah include honesty and service to humanity (George 179). The profits that are made by the Oprah Winfrey Network are channeled to the development of the girl child in the different parts of the world, particularly the African region. The Oprah Winfrey Network works as a philanthropic organization and not a profit making venture. Dedicating the benefits of an organization to the service of humanity is an ethical trait that meets the needs that some viewers may be having.
The position that a leader has on ethics has a direct impact on the culture of an organization. The rules and standards of a firm emanate from the ethical standards that have been set by a given organization or company. Leaders play a crucial role in influencing the psychological environment of the enterprise. Many staff members of an organization often look up to the head of the organization as a source of their inspiration. Additionally, some employees of a company try to emulate the approach that their leader has to a given set of issues besides dictating the way through which the goals of organizations could be met. The psychological environment and the organizational environment further enable the employees of a company to learn means through which they can cope with different situations that they are facing and have a framework of thinking through the problems that they are facing. Leadership is a trait that delves on the ability to influence all the staff to adhere to ethical codes of the company.
Oprah is an individual who values the betterment of the human race as opposed to the fame and the money that she earns through the shoes that she hosts. Therefore, Oprah is transformational in the way through which she manages her daily operations in the company to which it operates. When Oprah founded the Oprah Winfrey Network in place of the Oprah Winfrey show, the primary goal was to offer hope to young girls who have faced abuse and who come from backgrounds that they are not proud of in their lives. Oprah has often been free to share on her rape ordeal while she as only nine and the issue of her being raised by her grandparents a maid mother. Exchange of painful experiences hat one has undergone crucial in enabling other people to have hope in the difficult circumstances that they could be going through in their personal lives. Humanity is a high ethical attribute that is exuded by Oprah through her organization.
The conduct of any leader is crucial in making a decision on the direction that the company is set to undertake. When a leader is affirmative in the entrenchment of high work ethics in the organization, there is greater likelihood that the subordinates will follow suit. Additionally, when a leader is deprived of morality, the subjects are likely to ruin the company through the gross unethical practices that the subordinates may exude. Therefore, a leader is the image of the organization and the source of inspiration for all the staff working in the company.
Through the charitable acts of Oprah, the Oprah Winfrey show has a relatively higher viewership with many people volunteering to help with the fundraising for the noble causes that have been identified by Oprah. While some people may take advantage of their popularity to earn money for themselves and have wealth, Oprah sacrifices higher proportion of the earnings that she gets from her shows to the betterment of the humanity (Gini and Ronald 156). The charitable acts are also evident in the way through the employees of the organization choose to work with her. There is more staff working on a volunteer basis than those employed on full-time by the Oprah Winfrey Network. The decision to work with the volunteers is inspired by the need to have a positive impact on the lives of people facing suffering and is in dire need of help within the society, particularly women.
Oprah Winfrey founded the Oprah Winfrey Show from scratch with the objectives of building a community that is sensitive to the plight and the needs of the members of the society. As such, Oprah is a visionary leader who has been able to identify the needs that are existent in the society. While founding the network, Oprah was of the opinion that humanity has the inherent capability of helping each other. The need for support is perpetual, and the satisfaction of ensuring that there is dignity in the personal lives of all humans is a fulfilling mission that the entire human race needs to be proud of in their lives.
The ethical leadership of Oprah has enabled her to won several global awards and recognition. The Times Magazine has often recognized Oprah as an influential personality for five years owing to the inspiration that she offers to many and the ability to comprehend the suffering of humanity and help in the designing of programs that help humanity live in peace and harmony. Additionally, Oprah is one individual who loves having fun. Oprah is often seen smiled and prefers to have some good laughs, a trait that makes her approachable and having time for all despite her status in the society (McDonald 180). Though she is wealthy, Oprah does not talk much of his wealth, is often proud to highlight the issues that are faced by humanity, and finds solutions to some of the problems affecting humanity. When a leader is happy and charming, the members of the team in which he or she work to have the ease to approach him or her with the issues that they are facing in the quest of finding strategic direction regarding the issue that they are facing.
In conclusion, Oprah Winfrey is an ethical and transformation leader. Through her life and causes, Oprah has endeavored to find out what intrinsically and extrinsically motivates people. Through the account of her story, she has strived to be a role model to many girls and to teach in charity and fundraisers to help in solving problems that many humans face. The choice of Oprah Winfrey as the moral leader of choice is based on how she has managed to use the fame that she has earned to influence humanity positively. Through her aggressive efforts in mentoring young girls, there are increased enrollment rates for girls in Africa in schools. The ability to transform the society positively is an accolade that deserves praise since it leads to an equal and just society.
Works Cited
George, Bill. Discover Your True North. , 2015. Internet resource.
Gini, Al, and Ronald M. Green. Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders: Leadership and Character. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2013. Internet resource
McDonald, Katrina. Embracing Oprah: The Challenges of Contemporary Black Sisterhood. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Print.
