Communication and Leadership: a Discussion

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Justifications for Selecting Oprah
Discussion
Conclusion
References

Introduction

In the academia, there has been a growing interest in the leadership literature and its relations with communication, especially after the realization by scholars and practitioners that effective leadership is still principally dependent on communication (Barrett, 2006).

An assessment conducted by Aziz (2003) shows that proficiency in communication enhances leadership skills and competencies, as well as business credentials. Drawing on the leadership and communication competencies of Oprah Winfrey, an American media owner, talk show host, performer, producer and philanthropist, the present paper purposes to illuminate why effective communication is so fundamental for effective leadership.

Justifications for Selecting Oprah

Oprah Winfrey is an effective leader and good communicator, if her achievements in the media and contributions to the global society are to receive consideration. In terms of being an effective leader, it can be argued that the celebrity has demonstrated transformational, charismatic and servant leadership competencies not only in the process of touching and changing the lives of her viewers for the better (Klenke, 2002), but also in leading them by example (Aziz, 2003).

Her empathetic and caring personality, excellent communication skills, capacity to get along well with people of diverse backgrounds, and outstanding mediation skills qualify her to be one of the most effective leaders globally (What Oprah Knows, 2014).

In the context of being a good communicator, it can be argued that Oprah’s communication is process-oriented and effective in meeting the set goals, not mentioning that the celebrity collaborates well with others by gesturing and listening conscientiously as her guests in the talk show communicate their unique needs (Klenke, 2002).

Discussion

In almost all of the organizations aspiring to remain competitive in today’s turbulent business environment, leaders and managers must spend a considerable portion of their daily engagements communicating with customers, employees, supervisors, suppliers, owners, and other relevant stakeholders. Consequently, the very basis of effective leadership is having the right kind of skills to successfully and effectively communicate with these stakeholders (Barrett, 2006).

As an example, it can be argued that the sheer amount of time that Oprah Winfrey spends communicating with her viewers, employees and other stakeholders underlines how significant strong communication skills can be for her, especially in terms of advancing her leadership position. In this light, it is clear that having effective communication skills should be a seminal responsibility for leaders if they expect to broaden their scope in effective leadership.

Walker (2004) argues that effective leadership is about managing diversity, which is impossible to do in the absence of effective communication. Although Oprah meets with individuals from diverse backgrounds in terms of age, status, culture, ethnicity and gender, she is able to demonstrate effective leadership through effective communication with these individuals, especially through an accurate analysis of the audience, structuring communication, and listening attentively to her audience (Barrett, 2006).

Cases abound of highly qualified managers in global companies, who are unable to effectively manage racial or ethnic diversity in the workplace due poor communication skills. Such managers, in my view, cannot qualify to become successful leaders, thus the explanation as to why effective communication is so important for effective leadership.

Drawing on the available leadership literature, there appears to be a tangible relationship between good communicators and charismatic leaders in the sense that most charismatic leaders have well-developed communication skills and competencies (Barrett, 2006).

Going back to Oprah’s case example, it is beyond doubt that the celebrity is an effective charismatic leader due to her capacity to connect with her audience while communicating (What Oprah Knows, 2014), and also as a result of communicating with her image and persona (Klenke, 2002).

Consequently, it is possible to progress the argument that Oprah has become a hugely effective leader due to her capacity to use different avenues to communicate to her audience. These communication avenues endear followers to their leaders, hence facilitating an environment through which effective leadership can be achieved.

Barrett (2006) acknowledges that “good communication skills enable, foster, and create the understanding and trust necessary to encourage others to follow a leader” (p. 385). Oprah has been hugely successful as a leader owing to the understanding and trust she has cultivated in her viewership over the years (Klenke, 2002), not mentioning that her perceived self-efficiency and transformative personality has helped her a great deal in securing the understanding and trust she continues to enjoy from viewers (What Oprah Knows, 2014).

The most important point for this discussion, though, is that a manager cannot become an effective leader in the absence of effective communication skills, which have been found to reinforce the above-mentioned attributes.

In business contexts, the only way to get things done with and through people is by effectively communicating your decisions to those concerned, implying that communication is essential in any leadership endeavors. Indeed, effective communication involving the context, sender, message and receiver must be present if the leader is to purposively transfer meaning, with the view to influencing a single individual, group, organization or community (Barrett, 2006).

In her shows, for example, Oprah is able to purposively transfer meaning by not only putting her audience in the right context but also connecting with them using a multiplicity of communication skills (Klenke, 2002). This way, the celebrity is able to change her viewers in manifold ways, thus demonstrating effective leadership.

Lastly, Barrett (2006) is of the view that “leaders need to be able to analyze an audience in every situation and develop a communication strategy that facilitates accomplishing their communication objectives” (p. 386-387).

In the absence of insufficient communication skills, therefore, leaders may never be in a position to develop an effective communication strategy aimed at addressing the audience, thus may fail in their work as effective leaders. It also follows that a firm with a disjointed communication strategy many never achieve its set objectives due to underlying poor leadership, hence underlining the need to maintain a positive relationship between effective communication and effective leadership.

Conclusion

Overall, this exposition has successfully demonstrated that having the capacity to communicate effectively is a primary determinant in the process of allowing an individual to move into a leadership position and that the person who gets ahead in leadership is one who develops the capacity to communicate effectively with the view to making sound leadership decisions and getting things done with and through people.

The discussion advanced in this paper not only demonstrates the difficulties involved in attempting to divorce effective communication from effective leadership, but also provides clear examples of how Oprah Winfrey has employed effective communication skills to be successful in leadership. It is therefore incoherent to assume that effective leadership can be achieved in the absence of effective communication skills and competencies.

References

Aziz, K. (2003). Effective communication: The key to successful leadership. Development and Learning in Organizations, 17(5), 7-9.

Barrett, D. J. (2006). Strong communication skills a must for today’s leaders. Handbook of Business Strategy, 7(1), 385-390.

Klenke, K. (2002). Cinderella stories of women leaders’ connecting leadership contexts and competencies. Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, 9(2), 18-22.

Walker, R. (2004). Leadership: A communication perspective. Women in Management Review, 19(1), 65-68.

What Oprah knows for sure about communicating. (2014). Web.

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