Management, 12th Edition

8

Planning Processes and Techniques

Wisdom Learning From Others

> THINK NOW AND EMBRACE THE FUTURE

Having grown up poor, Oprah Winfrey says she is grateful for getting a good education, calling it “the most vital aspect of my life.” She's now sharing that lesson through the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for young women in South Africa.

When the academy's opened Winfrey said: “I wanted to give this opportunity to girls who had a light so bright that not even poverty could dim that light.” Her goal was for the new academy to “be the best school in the world.”

Nelson Mandela, first president of non-apartheid South Africa, spoke at the opening ceremony and praised her vision. “The key to any country's future is in educating its youth,” said Mandela. “Oprah is therefore not only investing in a few young individuals, but in the future of our country.” One of the first students said: “I would have had a completely different life if this hadn't happened to me.”

Even the best intentions couldn't guarantee that everything would go according to Winfrey's plan. Not long after the academy launched, it was hit by scandal over alleged abuse of students by a dorm matron. Oprah quickly apologized to the students and their families, and rededicated herself to the school.

“I think that crisis is there to teach you about life,” she said. “The school is going to be even better because that happened.” ...