Welcome back: The Apprentice
Mar 30
I have always had a problem with the way The Apprentice portrays business and what it takes to be successful. I do not claim to be an expert in business, but in my many years of being involved in business, I have yet to have the pleasure of working with these two-dimensional character types.
We had the one guy with the braces (don’t wear them until you are 35+ and by the way there is never a right age to wear elasticated trousers) who told us that for him “making money was better than sex”. The mind boggles with what kind of life he has led to make that comment, and I feel sorry for his entire ex’s. We had the guy who thought it was funny to say that in house, the women did all the cleaning. Wouldn’t half of the population just love to work for him?
But what really worries me is that these talentless self-obsessed bunch think they understand business. Business is about teamwork, collaboration, motivation, enthusiasm, being sharp and most importantly about being ethical. Other than wasted intelligence, can anyone see a difference between this group and the people who were running our banks?
Here are my top learning points from this weeks episode of The Apprentice;
- Don’t spend too long on naming exercises; Calling yourself Team A or Team B will suffice
- When meeting someone for the first time, don’t ask them if they have started anything (if you are both going for a job interview as an apprentice it is safe to assume that even if they did start something, it was not a huge roaring success)
- Don’t call potential customers liars. (You may feel that my running a sales consultancy gives me an unfair advantage – but please trust me, it is something that I never got taught)
- When negotiating – don’t talk over each other. Best still remember the golden rule of negotiating – silence is key!
- When talking to men – don’t accuse all men of being stinky
I trust these pearls of wisdom are helpful. It is a shame I was not able to brief the candidates before the episode!
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Hi and welcome to my blog. 
Mar 31 at 13:38
Well done on writing a commendable blog on a show which in my mind has been failing since 2005.
I am waiting to be wowed by a candidate who will take the golden opportunity by displaying the crucial elements that lead to a successful task/project.
Several thousand hopeful apprentices subject themselves to a host of selection process and the BBC selects the ‘best’! The BBC argues that the candidates are not selected to increase TV ratings but to promote business education. Yet the show’s emphasis remains on individual egos as opposed to true leadership skills.
In my mind good leadership motivates a team to succeed at any start-up/task/project….. As an infrequent veiwer I have noticed that the candidates to date demonstrate a lack of mental preparation for the show. James Max is possibly the only candidate I recall who demonstrated the mental preparation required to survive a ‘gruelling assessment centre’ recruitment process. A few others certainly demonstrated the ability to learn quickly yet finalists have always confirmed the opposite of what, in my experience, business schools advocate.
Leading business schools teach the benefits of democratic leadership and participative management quite contrary to The Apprentice which shows the aggressive side of business. This leads me to question which company is more successful:
a. Amstrad or Virgin
b. Drexel Lambert which arguably failed due to its culture or Semco which survived the gyrations of Brazil’s politics and twisted economy.
Thus I would urge candidates to remember:
- People are CRUCIAL, understand them
- Understand your resources and the teams end goal
- Take a step back and fix the problem areas
- Delegate and empower. Nobody likes a dictator
- Encourage ideas and constructive feedback
To conclude, Permjot I think you have stumbled across a business opportunity there….Coaching potential Apprentice Candidates. An alternative to Frank Hannigan’s Dragon Slayer concept