Whilst wistfully imagining an outstanding spin-off show featuring Nick Hewer named 'The King and Eye (brows)', thoughts drifted towards Episode 3s lessons. Still, the thought of Lord Sugar’s erstwhile informer shopping for top hats with the King of Tonga proved understandably distracting.
Series 7 finally found it's rhythm in this episode with the perennial buying task that has previously brought us kosher chicken, 18th century magazines that are actually London cabbie revision guides and so many more classic Apprentice moments. Yet, each and every series the candidates make the same basic errors time and again. Thankfully it was an episode that also widened the candidate base and gave us a flavour of many more of this year’s intake.
The discount buying task always makes good TV, and you get the feeling that of all the tasks that are devised on The Apprentice, Lord Sugars hand was perhaps most firmly behind this one. As critics will point out, a strong and lasting business could not be built on the kind of rash (and particularly desperate) negotiating and often rudeness that punctuates this episode. However, one thing this episode does highlight is those candidates who think on their feet, are prepared to just get on with it and can negotiate. Three key attributes that Lord Sugar holds dear. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the top performers in this task over the last few series have either won the main prize or been close to it.
That’s why this episode may give us our first real hint at the potential winners. Lord Sugar will undoubtedly play a ‘silent partner’ brief within any business setup on the back of this series, and perhaps for the first time we got an idea of just what kind of person he thinks he needs to work with.
On paper, Gavin, a young man who successfully set up and runs opticians was a real contender. Yet in the heat of this task he crumbled. Ok he had the more difficult team, but he was trumped the cool, calm and impressive Susan Ma. She certainly understood that time and quick and decisive decisions were key to this task. Fair enough, some of those decisions, such as which parts of London to do the cheapest shopping, were equally poor. Frankly anyone who has been subjected to those long, often fractious family monopoly games could’ve pointed her away from Mayfair for a Lord Sugar shopping trip.
Still thanks to Jedi Jim getting an extra £10 off an already impressive negotiation, Susan pulled in the win. She was perhaps the most impressive PM so far with a well organised team. Even if their locations and negotiations were far from it. It goes to show just how important it is to understand the challenge, get organised and get on with it. Gavin’s biggest failing was ‘dithering’ which lead to his team being badly organised and unable to complete the task in time. He was very nearly saved by his teams selection of leads and negotiating skills in what was after all only an £8 victory.
Most of the time as leaders we don’t have the answers. But the best leaders are able to organise their teams effectively, assign roles and give people responsibility and accountability. In so doing, especially when decisions need to be made under pressure, the outcome often takes care of itself.
In the meantime I’m wondering just who else Nick Hewer goes shopping with...
Star of the Week: Jedi Jim as always, but a nod this time to Ellie Reed who was impressive.
Got Lucky: Natasha Scribbins - what she was doing phoning a competitor only she knows...
Heading for a Fall: Natasha Scribbins - ...and her negotiations of the sign when she absolutely had £20 to spend before settling on £80 and then claiming she could’ve got better, and she already has an enemy in Zoe...in fact it isn’t looking good for her.
For Twitter updates on The Apprentice don't forget to follow me @simonbrooke
Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts
Friday, 20 May 2011
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
I Love Me: Lessons from Apprentice Series Seven Episode One
You know the score, Prokofiev's 'Dance of the Knights' starts up, Mark Halliley's distinctive tones kick in and we're off. Series Seven of the Apprentice smashed its way back onto our screens with a new set of candidates.
Just how they settle in will become clearer over the coming weeks, but in many ways this was one of the tamer starts to an Apprentice series for some time (in Apprentice terms anyway).
Wherever the Apprentice Candidate Farm is located, it's clear that the ‘I’m Number One’ chemical is being increased by each series, along with Jeremy Clarkson levels of ‘Tact’ in their feed. It generally makes for fabulous TV viewing, and whilst it was clear some of the contestants were on the slow-release capsules in Episode One, you got a distinct impression that we are (TV) hours away from more of those chemical kicking in.
For those of you turned off by previous series, this series is distinctive for one key reason. Gone is the £100k per year job with Lord Sugar and in its place the chance to go into business with the main man, who will also invest £250k into the venture. A fantastic start for a new business of the winner’s choice.
Although it’s not yet clear how this will change the dynamic of the programme, it does ask a fundamentally different question of the candidates and Lord Sugar. Indeed Lord Sugar will have to ask himself, not if he can employ this person, but can he go into a partnership with them.
The lessons from Episode One were many, varied and fundamental to any business. We had mistakes on devising costs, sale prices, stock and production. But what struck me was a lesson that was certainly hammered home on the ‘You’re Fired’ sister show.
Edward Hunter proved that outside of the basic fundamentals of running a business the one thing each and every entrepreneur (young or old) should do is understand themselves. By that I’m not talking some deep and comprehensive analysis of what you are, it’s more basic than that.
Though almost every entrepreneur I’ve ever met has to be a jack of all trades within their business, often through necessity, there comes a time when each will have to ask the question – What are my strengths? It’s a question I have asked and had help understanding with my friends at Alchemy. Within each of us, entrepreneur or not, we have an honest understanding of what we are good at, and not so good at. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs understand this, and will build teams and businesses in such a way that the business benefits from the strengths that they have, whilst utilising the different strengths of others.
Edward, in his attempt to show he wasn’t an accountant from the mould (as he put it), deliberately set aside a key strength namely his accountancy skills, and instead took the boys team on seemingly disorganised squeeze and sell. He set aside the very skills that were a basic requirement of the task in place of what he perceived to be high-energy leading and selling. Even before the bizarre exchanges with Lord Sugar in the boardroom, Edward set aside one of his biggest strengths and from that moment on he was very much Edward Hunt-ed.
Getting the fundamental business processes correct in any business is essential. But so is understanding the strengths we have as individuals and finding partners, employees or colleagues to help us create a team with the required strengths and skills to really go for the big prize.
Perhaps this year’s candidates really can listen to themselves for once...’I love me’ – just find out what ‘me’ can bring to the table.
Star of the Week: Jim Eastwood - hilarious argument diffusing skills aside a solid performance
Got Lucky: Edna Agbarha - Looked uncomfortable with the task and almost cost the girls the win with production problems
Heading for a Fall: Melody Hossaini - Great performance but the toast to herself may not be appreciated by others
Just how they settle in will become clearer over the coming weeks, but in many ways this was one of the tamer starts to an Apprentice series for some time (in Apprentice terms anyway).
Wherever the Apprentice Candidate Farm is located, it's clear that the ‘I’m Number One’ chemical is being increased by each series, along with Jeremy Clarkson levels of ‘Tact’ in their feed. It generally makes for fabulous TV viewing, and whilst it was clear some of the contestants were on the slow-release capsules in Episode One, you got a distinct impression that we are (TV) hours away from more of those chemical kicking in.
For those of you turned off by previous series, this series is distinctive for one key reason. Gone is the £100k per year job with Lord Sugar and in its place the chance to go into business with the main man, who will also invest £250k into the venture. A fantastic start for a new business of the winner’s choice.
Although it’s not yet clear how this will change the dynamic of the programme, it does ask a fundamentally different question of the candidates and Lord Sugar. Indeed Lord Sugar will have to ask himself, not if he can employ this person, but can he go into a partnership with them.
The lessons from Episode One were many, varied and fundamental to any business. We had mistakes on devising costs, sale prices, stock and production. But what struck me was a lesson that was certainly hammered home on the ‘You’re Fired’ sister show.
Edward Hunter proved that outside of the basic fundamentals of running a business the one thing each and every entrepreneur (young or old) should do is understand themselves. By that I’m not talking some deep and comprehensive analysis of what you are, it’s more basic than that.
Though almost every entrepreneur I’ve ever met has to be a jack of all trades within their business, often through necessity, there comes a time when each will have to ask the question – What are my strengths? It’s a question I have asked and had help understanding with my friends at Alchemy. Within each of us, entrepreneur or not, we have an honest understanding of what we are good at, and not so good at. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs understand this, and will build teams and businesses in such a way that the business benefits from the strengths that they have, whilst utilising the different strengths of others.
Edward, in his attempt to show he wasn’t an accountant from the mould (as he put it), deliberately set aside a key strength namely his accountancy skills, and instead took the boys team on seemingly disorganised squeeze and sell. He set aside the very skills that were a basic requirement of the task in place of what he perceived to be high-energy leading and selling. Even before the bizarre exchanges with Lord Sugar in the boardroom, Edward set aside one of his biggest strengths and from that moment on he was very much Edward Hunt-ed.
Getting the fundamental business processes correct in any business is essential. But so is understanding the strengths we have as individuals and finding partners, employees or colleagues to help us create a team with the required strengths and skills to really go for the big prize.
Perhaps this year’s candidates really can listen to themselves for once...’I love me’ – just find out what ‘me’ can bring to the table.
Star of the Week: Jim Eastwood - hilarious argument diffusing skills aside a solid performance
Got Lucky: Edna Agbarha - Looked uncomfortable with the task and almost cost the girls the win with production problems
Heading for a Fall: Melody Hossaini - Great performance but the toast to herself may not be appreciated by others
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