or still delivering the goods?
I’m a huge fan of The Apprentice. It is very entertaining but also delivers those business lessons you simply cannot be taught through study. So, with the latest series well under way it appears The Apprentice is as popular as ever. But the lessons are the same and it’s very often down to research (knowing your market), planning, getting your numbers right and common sense. So, if it’s so predictable then why does it continue to be so entertaining? I can’t quite put my finger on it but it keeps me hooked.
This is the second year with the new format – Lord Sugar is looking for a business “partner” (although apart from handing over £250,000 and a rolodex to die for it’s up to the winner to do the graft)
Last night’s first series highlighted that even though the girls had the best product they still lost, badly. One could argue that they lost because Gabriella, the team leader didn’t in fact lead the team… But I think it ultimately was down to them not spending enough time on their numbers and working out their profit margins. They had such a good product it seemed very unfair that they lost.
I’m always surprised as well that when picking a team leader the way they go about it. Although it always makes me laugh how in the first 2-3 weeks no one wants to be team leader and there is a silence until someone begrudgingly volunteers and yet 6 weeks down the line they’re all fighting to be the team leader! Yes Gabriella had design and a creative background but in fact that would have put me off!
I want a leader who can lead the team, understands the importance of getting the profit margins right, can motivate and generate sales (and of course it goes without saying control a group of women!). At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what the product is, if you can lead a team to success then you stand a much better chance at winning.
But that’s business and it just shows that pricing/profit margins and a strong leader will always win over the product – take Lord Sugar’s Amstrad computers, it’s well known how “crap” they were and yet he made a fortune from them, simply as he got his numbers and margins right!
I must admit I’m always sceptical as to how Lord Sugar choses who is fired and who ultimately is the winner. Last year’s winner Tom Pellereau (who I wanted to win) is a good example. He was constantly on the losing team and had pretty much been in the boardroom more times than anyone else… however he was an inventor and Lord Sugar could see the huge potential in him. I’m not suggesting that they have already picked the winner… but let’s be honest this is a TV program first which is often manipulated for us the viewing public. It would afterall be rather dull if everyone got on well and did a fabulous job!
So what do you think? Are you watching this year’s series? What do you think of the candidates this year? Would you invest £250k in any of them?!
Lilach
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8 Responses to The Apprentice 2012 – Lost it’s shine?
I loved the show last night and totally agree with your comments re team leaders – it’s not about having the product knowledge but about being able to lead, plan – create strategies and leverage the skills of the rest of the team to get the job done and make a profit.
It was a pretty simple task they were given and if they had had a great strategy in place combined with the great product they had the girls would have won hands down……..
It really highlights that it’s not always the best product but the best marketing and strategies that are important – if you have both you really will shine!
Carol
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I do wonder whether any of the candidates have ever watched the show before. They so often make the same mistake of confusing the reality of the task with the long term aims of an actual business.
The girls’ product could have sold day in day out. It might not have made them fabulously wealthy, but it would have turned a profit. But that wasn’t the point of the task, which was short term, buy cheap, price high and shift stock at any cost at the end of the day. The boys understood this.
You can piss people off and deliver a shoddy product if you’re just doing it the once. That’s how many tasks in The Apprentice work. It’s just not how business works.
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Ultimately in this new format, it’s all about the business plans. Last year Tom clearly had business potential – as Sugar later commented, he was a ‘products’ man, just like himself – and I consequently had him pegged to win from week 1. It’s no longer about who the ‘best’ overall business-person is.
This opening episode was the usual mix of the deranged and the well, even more deranged. The scene where the four girls badgered that poor shop assistant to the point of tears was a proper car-crash moment, and it’s incredible that not one of them realised what was happening.
Bilyana talked herself out of it. She made the mistake of attacking Gabrielle and not Katie, and then was so busy interrupting Sugar that she didn’t realise he was just about to fire Katie anyway. Communication is as much about listening as it is about talking, something she failed to realise. It’s not that difficult, is it?
http://slouchingtowardsthatcham.com/2012/03/22/the-apprentice-bear-faced-cheek-wins-the-day/
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Hello Lilach,
I am also a fan of the show The Apprentice, but I see the American version with Donald Trump. Right now it is The Celebrity Apprentice which is airing in the US.
Much of what goes into making a business successful is not fun or sexy – it’s the devil in the details. I think that a successful business requires a bit of fastidious pre-planning. Like building an airplane, specific care must be adhered to in the early stages if we expect our plane to be able to lift-off and be safe and sturdy, of course.
I am not at all shocked to hear that many approach the task of leadership in a 1/2-cocked sort of fashion. It would appear that consummate leadership would entail that the individual is well-rounded in several competencies such as: passion for details, ability to inspire and motivate others into acting out upon their potentials, resiliance of spirit and energy, and a clear focus!
It’s a tall order!!
Cat Alexandra
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Heya! I know this is sort of off-topic however I had to ask. Does building a well-established blog such as yours take a large amount of work? I’m brand new to blogging but I do write in my journal everyday. I’d like to start a blog so I can share my personal experience and thoughts online. Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring blog owners. Appreciate it!
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I think Donald Trump will announce that he isn’t going to run for president it’s one thing to say it and it is a totally other thing. To do it running for president takes a lot of effort and time and this is something. I don’t think Donald Trump wants to put in the time it takes because he is too busy with other things god bless
Really its great show. I love it and i agree with you. Thank you so much for sharing this post.
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I am not a huge fan of The Apprentice not because I don’t like it but just because I don’t watch TV in general. I have however seen episodes and I like the idea. I don’t think it sounds like it is losing its flavor.
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