The Apprentice Is A Tough Love lesson In Workplace Relationships
The Apprentice Is a Tough Love lesson In Workplace Relationships
By Bill Knell
Some educators encourage their students to watch whatever
incarnation of The Apprentice happens to be available hoping
they will pick up on some of the methods, ideas and solutions
presented. Others write the show off as a series of staged
events that offer nothing in terms of business education. Both
viewpoints have valid arguments, but they are missing the real
lessons offered by Donald Trump's reality television show.
The Apprentice is a must-see for anyone who desires to master
the art of workplace relationships. Whether producer Mark
Burnett and his crew egg-on contestant feuds and squabbles
behind the scenes as some claim are less important then the
disagreements themselves. They typify the problems that come
into play when egos, sexuality, personalities, experience,
flirtations, age and education collide in the workplace.
The whole idea of The Apprentice is a fascinating one. People
have to work together in teams for the ultimate benefit of just
one member. That concept is acted out in real life everyday
within the corporate workplace. Everyone is trying to climb the
same ladder and it can get pretty crowded at times. The lessons
to be learned from The Apprentice are how to remain on the
ladder and eventually make it to the top.
The television show makes it easy to spot those used to working
as part of a team and the others who can't. It also exposes the
various agendas and temporary alliances created to remove
undesirable or threatening team members. These are the things
you should pay attention to and learn from. Just trying to avoid
being someone's target in the corporate workplace is an art form
in itself.
There are some obvious solutions to workplace relationship
problems that are amply illustrated on The Apprentice. One is
the simple concept of Mentoring. As with the television show, a
good Mentor is not going to think and act for you. Instead, they
are going to guide you in the right direction and give you some
straight talk when you screw up. This is what Donald Trump does.
Martha Stewart is more polite, but no less forceful in her
incarnation of The Apprentice.
Both television shows illustrate the importance of learning to
listen. When in a meeting, receiving instructions from a project
manager or getting advice from a Mentor, you must be sure that
you are listening to what is being said. If you cannot
understand the goal, you can't reach it. During the first
episode of the Martha Stewart Apprentice, Martha clearly spelled
out the ultimate goal of the first project. It was to see how
well each team could connect with their customers. The team that
failed never had that simple goal in sight to begin with.
Donald Trump is always concerned as much with his image as he is
with making money. For him, the two are one, no goal rises above
that and he is easily able to communicate this to team members.
Despite that, we have seen many examples where teams simple
ignore the Trump philosophy in trying to complete their tasks.
This leads to failure and firing. Part of surviving the real
life corporate workplace means being able to sign on to a
corporate philosophy and embed it in everything you do.
Despite the desire to include a wealth of entrepreneurs within
the Apprentice wannabees, most are used to being the boss rather
then working under one. The successful entrepreneurs we seen on
The Apprentice are those who can marry their ability for
creative thought with the need to work closely with others and
treat them as equals. Perceptive team members know that the
losers will fall off by their own hands. They understand the
need to keep a low profile and wait for blowhards and frauds to
self-destruct. Those who try to manipulate things by drawing
attention to themselves on The Apprentice, usually end up on the
short list of those soon to be fired. The same may be said to be
true in real life.
American Culture has encouraged individualism for at least half
a century. The idea that it's all about ME has become embedded
in our education, religious, political and business systems.
It's allowed the needless development of personality cults
around bogus political, religious and business leaders in place
of common sense. The results have been predictable, costly and
unnecessary.
If Donald Trump and Martha Stewart can teach us anything, it's
that even the most creative and charismatic people must work
with a team to achieve their goals. That team should sign on to
their philosophy, support their goals and benefit in every way
they can from working in such an environment. Those who have
come to compete for The Apprentice position and haven't arrived
with a good grasp of real life workplace etiquette are unlikely
to last long.
Success as part of any workplace team means putting aside
personality conflicts, quick tempers and anything that can
distract from the job at hand. Individual success often comes at
the cost of being part of a successful team. The rewards can be
substantial and it doesn't always pay to be the top dog. That is
another lesson well taught by Donald Trump and Martha Stewart.
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Author: Bill Knell Author's Email: billknell@cox.net Author's
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