Oprah is Fat, Can Anyone See That?

Guest Post by:  Leslie Ungar

***The views expressed in this article are soley those of the writer’s and does not reflect the opinion of Boomer Diva Nation*** 

Oprah is fat, period. That’s OK. Most of us struggle with weight and end up on the losing end at some time.

There are two things that are not OK. One is her self-imposed expert status. Two, is Oprah being photo shopped on the cover of her own magazine. Oprah is a goddess here on earth. She has done amazing work as an angel. And no amount of tonnage will change that.

To protect her own value, Oprah needs to stop talking about weight as if she is the expert. Napoleon Hill said, “It is not enough to know, one must know and do”. We all know what we should do; the difference is in the doing.

Credibility is devised from three sources:

How we identify our value, communicate our value, protect our value.

When Oprah sets herself up as the diet or physical fitness guru, she is not protecting her value. She can interview experts; she just can’t set herself up as the expert. Her value is not in communicating as an expert. Her value is in the quality of guests and the quality of conversation that she can expose the American public to on a plethora of topics. Or actually, any topic she wakes up and chooses.

Oprah can get away with this disconnect between what she says and what she does, because she is Oprah. The problem is that most of us mere mortals cannot protect our value when there is this schism between what we say and what we do. As a professional speaker and expert on communicating value, the damage is in the example she sets.

Oprah is a freak of nature. A good freak, but a freak. Just like LeBron James is a freak of nature. A good freak, but a freak. The unfortunate consequence is that if we do as Oprah does, if what we say contradicts what we do, we will come across s freaks, and not the good kind.

The second error in her near perfect judgment (except for that horrendous movie she produced her record is near perfect) is the cover of her most recent issue of O. Oprah photo shopped? That’s bad on so many levels. From the perspective of her credibility, how is being photo shopped protecting her own value? How is it communicating her own value?

To tell her readers, through a picture, and a picture is worth a thousand words, that what she looks like is not good enough even for her?

Leslie Ungar

Electric Impulse Communications, Inc.

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How to Succeed as a Woman in Business

What do Indra Nooyi, Pat Woertz and Oprah have in common? They are among Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2008. What drives and sustains successful female leaders like them?

According to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company, to be successful as a woman in business, you need to have the five important attributes.  Thanks to Harvey Schachter for posting the findings.  

Meaning

You must find your own strengths and put them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose. Meaning enables people to push themselves to the limit. If you find and stick with your strengths in a job, you’ll be happier and more productive.

Managing Energy

You need to know where your energy comes from, where it goes, and what you can do to manage it. Today’s executives work long hours, and many women come home to a “second shift” managing household tasks. “We’ve found that work-life balance is a myth – so the only hope women have is to balance their energy flows,” the consultants observe. “This means basing your priorities on the activities that energize you, both at work and at home, and actively managing your resources to avoid dipping into reserves.” Identify the conditions and situations that replenish your energy, and space out your energy- sapping tasks through the day instead of bundling them all into a single morning or afternoon.

Positive framing

You must adopt a more constructive way to view your world, expand your horizons, and gain the resilience to move ahead even when bad things happen. That doesn’t mean being unrealistic. Optimists, research shows, are not afraid to frame the world as it is, because they are confident they can manage its challenges and lead their team to action. The key is self-awareness. If a meeting goes badly, for example, limit your thoughts to the temporary and specific impact, keep your thoughts impersonal, and move on.

Connecting

You must identify who can help you grow, build stronger relationships, and increase your sense of belonging. People with strong networks and good mentors enjoy more promotions, higher pay, and greater career satisfaction. They feel a sense of belonging, which makes their lives more meaningful. “The leaders we interviewed also talked about the importance of having individual relationships with senior colleagues willing to go beyond the role of mentor – someone willing to stick out his or her own neck to create opportunity for, or help, a protégé,” the consultants say. Since women who promote their interests vigorously are seen as aggressive, unco-operative and selfish, such sponsors are vital for female leaders to get ahead.

Engaging

You must find your own voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting opportunities and the inherent risks they bring, as well as collaborating with others. Hard luck won’t necessarily bring its own rewards so women must create their own luck, taking ownership of opportunities. It starts by finding your voice – making sure after you learn enough about issues and situations that you also speak out. The women interviewed for the study also accept risk as part of opportunity, and are willing to take sharp career detours when necessary.

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What’s on Your Bucket List?

Last weekend my husband and I saw the movie, The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. With the news of the death of comedian George Carlin today and journalist Tim Russert last week, it got me to thinking about my own List.

Knowing you only have a certain amount of time to live puts things into perspective. But those of us who don’t know end up wasting a lot of time doing frivolous and unnecessary things.

So let’s start a discussion today. If you knew you were going to be dead by September, what five things would you want to do—feel compelled to do?

Mine are:

Have the pleasure of giving away a million dollars to friends and strangers
Have a sit-down with Barack and Michelle Obama
Go to dinner with Denzel Washington and his wife, Pauletta
Host Oprah’s Show for one week
Travel back to St. Lucia with five other couples (already identified) for an even better vacation than I had on my honeymoon.

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