New Ladder To Success

In this episode, the candidates gathered on the 59th floor of the Trump building on 40 Wall Street. With Carolyn and Bill next to Trump, he informed everyone that he purchased the building for $1 million and that it is now worth "hundreds of millions of dollars." Then, Trump introduced two executives from Ace Hardware, Paula and Rich, along with Glenn, an executive from Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

TEAM SYNERGY:  Allie, Sean, Tammy, Pepi, Andrea, Roxanne, Brent, Stacy and Michael (project manager).

TEAM GOLD RUSH: Tarek, Dan, Bryce, Charmaine, Leslie, Theresa, Lee, Summer and Lenny (project manager).

 THE ASSIGNMENT:  Ace Hardware partners with Boys and Girls Club of America in the New Faces for Helpful Places program. For this task, teams will be responsible for renovating an area for one of the clubs. Their work will be judged on creativity, functionality, and the three executives will choose the ultimate winner.

THE WINNING TEAM:   Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE:   Lenny

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Always do your homework

Gold Rush got off to a terrible start by not adequately preparing for the initial strategy session with the Ace Hardware executives. The executives arrived to discuss the project with Gold Rush, but nobody seemed to know what to say. Charmaine tried to step up, but she said the wrong name of the charity program. To make matters worse, Lenny commented Ace was a small shop and the executives sternly disputed his statement. Lenny then tried to recover by saying he meant Ace was a neighborhood shop. The entire meeting lasted less than ten minutes and most of it was awkward silence.

Unlike Gold Rush, the Project Manager of Synergy, Michael, grilled Ace executives with question after question. He asked about the charity and about how important it was to include the Ace brand. As a result, Synergy delivered what the Ace Hardware people wanted to see in the finished room. In the end, Synergy won the task.

2) Dictator vs. Crowd-pleaser

Two distinctive personalities unfolded as two candidates took up the project managers’ roles and responsibilities. Lenny was Gold Rush’s Project Manager for this task and Michael stepped up as the project manager for Synergy. During the initial brainstorming session, Lenny quickly settled on the theme of music for the room of Boys and Girls Club, despite objections from his teammates. Charmaine suggested perhaps they should get some guidance from the Ace execs, but her idea was ignored.

On the other hand, Michael could not stop asking questions when the team met with Ace executives. The meeting lasted 45 minutes. Afterward, he spent hours going over ideas while his team was anxious about getting started with their work. Michael demonstrated his lack of decision-making ability when he struggled to make even the simplest decision. He was so perplexed by choosing paint colors, he even picked up a phone to call his teammates to figure out which color to buy at Ace Hardware.

Needless to say, both project managers failed to win the hearts of their teammates.

3)  No matter what happens, BE PRESENT 

When Bill Rancic showed up to check Gold Rush’s progress, Lenny was missing from the construction site. Only three members of Gold Rush were working furiously to get the room finished in time. When Bill Rancic asked, "Where's Lenny?" the others indicated they did not know. As it turns out, he and Lee left to purchase the musical instruments and other electrical equipment. This incident, of course, left a very negative impression with Bill. Later in the boardroom, Charmaine kept hammering Lenny for his lack of participation in renovating the room.

A good leader never abandons his/her team in crisis. Even when circumstances require a leader’s special attention, remember the lesson, it’s MORE important that you are within everyone's sight, so people know you are charting the course and leading them to victory.

4) Don’t be a whiner!

During this episode, Charmine consistently talked about the project’s issues and problems. Her teammate, Tarek, commented, “She constantly has diarrhea of the mouth." Again and again, people discarded her opinion. For example, Charmaine said they should hire professional painters in order to get all of the painting done in time. Lenny noted if she would spend less time talking, they would be further along with the painting. Afterward, Tarek stated that listening to Charmaine talk is hearing nails on a chalkboard. Next, Charmaine claimed the red paint being used would require two coats; Lenny acted like nothing she said could possibly interest him. Even when Charmaine was right about the paint, her words fell into deaf ears.

Yes, it’s important to voice your concern. BUT, be careful what you said doesn’t come across as complaints or grumbles.

Trump's Lesson of the Week: "Be Decisive"

Trump says that if you can’t come up with a decision in a timely manner, you won’t look like a leader. However, you should not be so quick that you might make a mistake.

Related links:   The Apprentice on NBC, The Apprentice on SirLinksalot.net,The Apprentice Rules, and The Next Apprentice