Oprah Winfrey

As stated by Oprah Winfrey, “Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you were meant to be, and to begin to honor that in the best way possible”. Oprah, whose charismatic spirit is captured in the context of the quote above, is a true example of a leader. She is not only touted as one of the worlds most influential people but is also well known for her internationally popular talk show and philanthropic pursuits. In this analysis, I will examine Oprah’s leadership personality traits by using the Big Five Model of Personality as well as Leader Motive Profile Theory. I will assess the behaviors and the motivation exhibited by Oprah by applying both Leadership Grid Theory and Motivation
Finally, I will discuss, in detail, how she uses normative leadership style to fit situations and people based on model questions.
According to Achua, effective leaders fall within five dimensions of personality: surgency, agreeableness, adjustment, conscientiousness, and openness (Achua, pg.48). Oprah excels in the area of agreeableness as shown by her ability to use her traumatic childhood to inspire and motivate others. Using her emotional intelligence, she empowers her followers to solve their own problems. This is best exhibited by many of her shows dedicated to self-improvement. Oprah also excels in the area of surgency. Her warm-extroverted personality, along with her determination to make a difference in the world, has assured her dominance in show business. She is open to growing as a leader and has done so by being flexible in our ever-changing entertainment industry. An example of this is her ability to perform as an actor, producer, and philanthropist, while also hosting talk shows. She adapted