Chapter 4 The Power of Personality Likeability may well be the deciding factor in every competition you'll ever enter. --Tim Sanders, author, Yahoo! leadership coach Oprah Winfrey's personal story is a lesson in many things: surviving, teaching, mentoring, and perseverance against odds. From poverty, abuse, and teen pregnancy, Oprah faced many obstacles. But more than anything else, her personal story is a lesson in the power of a positive outlook and a likeable personal- ity. Oprah never backed down or allowed her negative circum- stances to get in her way. Through it all, she chose to stay upbeat and believe in her ability to succeed. Having made it past those barriers, Oprah has continued to give back throughout her incredibly successful career. Making gen- erous charitable donations to worthy causes, she has bettered the situations of countless individuals. She has consciously initiated 97