1. What is authenticity? How does the Oprah! case illustrate the roots and meaning of authentic leadership?
Webster’s Dictionary defines authenticity with several different words, but the closest in the case of Oprah Winfrey is “being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character” (Webster N.pag). Oprah’s life is an example of an individual being true to herself. Oprah talks about being honest to herself as one of the most important aspects of her success. She also discusses that due to her honesty, she has been able to feel the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment in her career. She presents her life as an example for people to learn. Being authentic helped her to realize what she had faced in her life and what she has achieved has only been possible because she was authentic.
As time passed, Oprah discovered more about herself and realized that what happened in her past was not her mistake and she should not feel any guilt for it. She ensured communicating many instances of her self-discovery with the audience making people feel she was one of them. She learned from her life and shared her wisdom with her viewers. This made her authentic to the audiences and struck a chord with people who had faced similar situations in their lives. Her brand of authentic leadership also was shown through her ability to give back to the community and people in need. Oprah managed to influence the lives of her audience, by telling them to stand for themselves and make changes to their life.
She gave many the confidence that they can learn from adversity and their mistakes to better their life. Oprah taught people that change comes from within yourself and every person has the ability to make the best of their life. One of the most important aspects of her authentic leadership is teaching people that you should love what you do rather than love the associated financial benefits. This has been one of the biggest causes of her success as she has always loved her work rather than the money that comes with the job.
2. How will you find authenticity for yourself as a leader?
As an individual, I am still learning the career I wish to pursue in future. But from Oprah’s example, I will try to evaluate career and life options on the basis of my instinct. Like Oprah, I will also attempt to remain authentic to myself in all aspects of my future. Oprah teaches that she has managed to be successful because she fell from her first days in her job that she was supposed to be a broadcast journalist. But she managed to become authentic when she shared her own life, experiences rather than copying others who are successful. I too will explore my options and choose the one that makes me feel at home or authentic.
In will follow my dreams rather than the common path followed by everyone. I want to make an example of my own life and career like Oprah and I believe that anyone who remains true to themselves can achieve their dreams. I will focus on performing my best on the tasks at hand, rather than competing with others. By choosing to become ‘original’, I hope that people will be able to identify with me. Showing my true self will be one of the first actions I will take to place authenticity in my leadership. Also, I will be honest with people regarding my opinion on matters, rather than fabricating a lie. This is my plan to develop authenticity in my leadership style.
Works Cited
George, B., and A. B. McLean. "Oprah!" Harvard Business School Case 11 Apr. 2007: 1-8. Print.
Mirriam-Webster Inc. Authentic. Mirriam-Webster. merriam-webster.com. n.d. Web. 19 July 2015
