Real Leaders: Oprah Winfrey and the Power of Empathy

HBR IdeaCast

• Episode: Real Leaders: Oprah Winfrey and the Power of Empathy
• Website: HBR IdeaCast
• Feed URL: http://feeds.harvardbusiness.org/harvardbusiness/ideacast
• Duration: 00:29:10
• Published: 2020-03-26 15:15

In 1976, broadcast journalist Oprah Winfrey moved to Baltimore to coanchor the evening newscast at a local TV station. But she struggled in that spot and was moved to the morning talk show. That demotion led Winfrey to discover a professional calling that aligned with her personal sensibilities and emerging strengths. In the final episode of a four-part special series on leadership, HBR Editor in Chief Adi Ignatius and Harvard Business School professor and historian Nancy Koehn trace Winfrey’s career as an entrepreneur and leader of a media empire. They discover lessons on how to cultivate self-awareness, cross traditional boundaries, and responsibly wield influence.