Home : Category View (Career Planning)
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 2/12/2007 at 8:11 AM
Posted in Apprentice, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Career Planning
Recently on The Apprentice, I had to ask a member of the winning team Kinetic to volunteer to go to the losing team, Arrow.
I was mildly surprised when I saw how many people were willing to risk making the move. Instead of staying on the safe winning team, they offered to move to the other team which was, pretty much, a wreck.
I think it showed how many people were good leaders and wanted to show off their abilities. As long as they were on the winning team they couldn’t take a leadership role. On the losing team, there was more of a chance to shine and they were very aware of that.
That’s obviously the way it is in real life too. When you’re working for a well-oiled successful machine, things are often easier but it’s much harder to stand out. If everyone at your company does a great job, it’s harder to get noticed.
But when you walk into a situation where things are mess, it’s easier to rise to the top and prove your talent. If you can manage to turn things around, even a little bit, you become a hero and a star.
For more insights on becoming a success in the world, investigate The Entrepreneurship Mastery Program from Trump University.
Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University.
Posted by Paul C. Quintal on 1/29/2007 at 10:12 AM
Posted in Career Planning, Entrepreneurship, Apprentice
Have the guts to take on the toughest assignments
Ultimately, the reason that Marisa got fired last night was that she had annoying habits, like interrupting people, resisting authority and not listening to her teammates. It is sobering to think that just a handful of personal traits like those - probably invisible to her - were enough to end her Apprentice career.
But for me, the most significant lesson came when Surya left Kinetic, the winning team, and voluntarily went to work for Arrow. Arrow, you remember, had already lost the first three tasks this season. They were losers. They were sleeping outside in tents - until this week’s episode, that is.
Other people were willing to join Arrow too - or at least they said they were willing to do so. But in the end it was Surya who packed his bags and trudged outside to join the losing team. That took guts, but his courage paid him back when Arrow, his adopted team, won this week’s task.
So this episode reminded me of a critical career principle:
When you take on unpleasant assignments, you advance your career - fast
Many people forget that. They expect all the “dirty work” to come early in their careers. After that, they want things to get easier as they rise to the top. And that makes no sense.
In my career, I have noticed that people with the courage to tackle the hardest jobs advance faster than people who coast. I bet you have noticed that too. The question is, are you applying that principle to your own career, or are you taking the easy path?
I admired Surya’s willingness to roll up his sleeves and take on unpleasant assignments. Companies value people like him. He might be the kind of professional who could sell an ailing division of a company, turn a weak product into a profit-maker, or cut costs by trimming waste. Surya is a can-do guy, and people like him move ahead quickly in their careers.
So keep claiming tough assignments - the toughest you can find. As your responsibilities increase, let your appetite for hard work increase too. That’s a surer path to success than looking for the easy way. Try it. It will work for you.
Look for Paul C. Quintal’s take on The Apprentice here on every Monday of this season. Be sure to visit
NBC’s Apprentice Page to stay on top of every development in this ultimate job interview!
Paul C. Quintal is Vice President of Trump University.
Posted by Paul C. Quintal on 1/22/2007 at 10:42 AM
Posted in Apprentice, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Career Planning
Talking to your customers is the real secret of career success
The contestants had a pretty simple task last night. They only had to organize sightseeing tours of Hollywood on double-decker buses. I could execute that task by myself in an hour or two, and I bet you could too.
So why did the contestants engage in such bizarre behavior? Michelle was trying to dodge blame again this week by refusing to make a decision of any kind. And Tim, once his team’s bus tour got underway, picked up a microphone and told a busload of nice-looking school kids exactly how John Belushi had died from a drug overdose. That was plain stupid.
Just when I thought I had seen everything, Michelle quit and walked away from the competition. That was the most astonishing decision I have ever seen on The Apprentice.
But in my post this morning, I am going to set aside all the weird behavior and concentrate on something a lot simpler. Because for me, the most important aspect of the show was this:
Customers picked the winning team
That’s the way Mr. Trump structured the competition this week. The team that got the highest ratings from actual customers would win.
Why do I find that so significant? Because it is so true to life. In business, the customer ultimately determines who wins and who loses. In the end, the marketplace decides. The people who ultimately rise to the top are not the political players like Michelle or Frank, but people like James and Aaron who concentrate hardest on giving customers what they want.
You might doubt the truth behind that principle. I know that in the heat of a typical workday it is often hard to ignore the negative power-players who steal your ideas, try to outshine you in meetings and climb right over your back up the corporate ladder.
But I stick to my principle. In the end, staying focused on your customers is how you win in your career.
That principle was borne out in last night’s episode. Aaron’s team focused on what their customers wanted from their earliest stages of planning. Their first move was to board a sightseeing bus and ask tourists what they liked, and didn’t like, about the tour they were taking. That simple strategy quickly gathered winning ideas from customers about how to plan a winning tour.
Meanwhile, the members of Michelle’s team were making plans with no input from the marketplace. Despite all the jockeying for position and backstabbing, they lost and went down like a shot squab. Aaron’s team, in contrast, won by talking to customers and then giving them exactly what they wanted. Every single member of that team emerged a winner.
So when you go to work today, take a moment to talk to your customers. Keep doing it. In just a short time you will feel a potent force, a strong wind at your back. That’s the power of the customer, propelling you to the top.
Look for Paul C. Quintal’s take on The Apprentice here on every Monday of this season. Be sure to visit
NBC’s Apprentice Page to stay on top of every development in this ultimate job interview!
Paul C. Quintal is Vice President of Trump University.
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 1/22/2007 at 8:51 AM
Posted in Career Planning, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Apprentice
The essentials of building a great staff
One of the keys to being a great leader is the ability to delegate. For some strong people, that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s often difficult to relinquish the reins because you want to make sure things are done correctly. Many people adamantly believe the adage, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”
But executives and managers and leaders of any kind are too busy to tend to every detail so delegation is crucial. However, in order to assign tasks to others, you have to really trust those who work for you.
In recent years, I have built a public reputation for firing people. In all honesty, I put much more emphasis on hiring people and promoting those already working within the company. I think I’m a pretty good judge of character. When I interview people, I try to size them up fairly quickly. I don’t waste a lot of time on interviews because, although first impressions are lasting and often tell me immediately what I need to know about someone, every hire is a gamble.
Impressive credentials don’t always add up to a great performance or a good fit. I’ve had résumés that have blown me away and then, the real live person has done nothing once he or she has joined my staff. Likewise, nonexistent credentials don’t mean nonexistent talent. Being circumspect helps a lot and keeps you from being surprised. Time will do the weeding out for you. All you have to do is pay attention.
One characteristic I look for in employees is a concern for the organization as a whole. I admire employees who see themselves as having a direct relationship to the success or failure of the company they work for. When employees believe they are important to the company, their work reflects that loyalty.
I respect employees who act quickly and can think on their feet. Time is often of the essence and I value staff members who are ready with answers and solutions. I also like employees who spend (and, more important, save) the company’s money as if it were their own. Companies suffer when employees don’t make enough of an effort to control costs. Finally, although some amount of personal ambition is necessary, too much could undermine the common goal of the company. The company has to come first in every employee’s eyes.
It’s an employee’s job to do the work of the company and keep the company’s goals in mind. And it is the company’s job to keep the employees motivated and challenged. If it’s a good fit, everyone works together well. If not, then it’s a dead-end situation and no one benefits.
For more insights on getting your company to run as well as a fine Swiss watch, enroll in Trump University’s
Entrepreneurship Mastery Program. Classes are forming now.
Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University.
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 1/18/2007 at 6:00 AM
Posted in Career Planning, Leadership
So you think your job is tough?
A new study in the Harvard Business Review estimates that 1.7 million Americans now hold extreme jobs. They define --extreme-- as any job that requires at least 60 hours of work each week, as well as all kinds of other work-related commitments.
More than half of the top income earners in the United States work more than 70 hours a week. Nearly half say they are working 16 hours a week more than they did just five years ago.
Not only do they work long hours, but these top earners have to travel for their jobs and most have to be available around-the-clock to their employees.
These extreme jobs are found in law and medicine, on Wall Street and in marketing, in accounting and in consulting ... all over the economy. Men are more likely than women to hold these jobs.
Despite the hours and the pressure, the overwhelming majority of these people say they love their jobs. In addition to the financial rewards, they say they like the satisfaction of being able to handle the pressure and they’re hooked on the adrenaline rush.
Sure, there’s the potential that they get burned-out on their jobs, but there’s also a great feeling that they’re accomplishing big things. I certainly know the feeling.
Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University.
Posted by Debra Benton on 1/17/2007 at 8:12 AM
Posted in Career Planning, Leadership
22 Vital Traits You Need to Be the Person at the Top
- Be secure in yourself: No one makes you feel inferior without your consent.
- Be in control of your attitude: Success in business is based more on mental attitude than mental capabilities
- Be tenacious: Nothing ever happens with one letter, one telephone call, one request.
- Be continuously improving: Take risks. Mistakes provide some of your best learning.
- Be honest and ethical: If you are careless with the truth, your credibility will be jeopardized when you are telling the truth.
- Be sure to think before you talk: Think fast, pause, then speak purposefully.
- Be original: Carefully observe what more people are doing in any situation, and don't do that.
- Be publicly modest: It's more of a thrill to have others recognize your ability rather than your pointing it out first. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, --Never underestimate a man who overestimates himself.--
- Be aware of your style: Style does not pertain to clothes. It's about what you do in your clothes.
- Be gutsy: List the things that scare you the most - then make it your to-do list.
- Be humorous: It takes guts to inject levity into serious business situations - but somebody has to do it, and it better be you.
- Be a tad theatrical: Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Leadership is about performance and performing.
- Be detail-oriented: The small things will always make the biggest difference.
- Be willing to lead: Be worth listening to, worth believing, worth following.
- Be sure to fight for your people: Be loyal downward; spread credit downward.
- Be willing to admit mistakes: If you are error-free, you're likely effort-free.
- Be straightforward: Everything you say or write can be done in a plain, simple manner. Just do it.
- Be nice: The more power and prestige you hold, the less it may seem you need to be nice. Wrong.
- Be inquisitive: Ask, ask, ask, and then ask more.
- Be competitive: Don't pray for an easy win in situations you are involved in. You don't learn much from success, especially easy success. You learn from struggle.
- Be flexible: Be able to stand out from the crowd while still fitting in with the crowd.
- Be a good storyteller: People understand you better, remember what you say longer, find you smarter and more interesting if you use anecdotes to make your points.
Debra Benton, president of Benton Management Resources, is one of America's top executive coaches. She works with a prestigious list of Fortune 500, upwardly-mobile executives. Her best-selling books include: How to Think Like a CEO; Executive Charisma: Six Steps to Mastering the Art of Leadership; and How to Act Like a CEO: 10 Rules for Getting to the Top and Staying There.
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 12/22/2006 at 8:02 AM
Posted in Leadership, Career Planning
A Special Holiday Message to Friends Everywhere
Donald J. Trump and the entire faculty and administration of Trump University join me in wishing you the most joyous of holidays. May your time with your family and loved ones bejoyful - and may your New Year be prosperous too.
Looking forward to every success in 2007,
Michael Sexton, President, Trump University
Critical advice on successfromthe new book, Trump 101
I once hired a very qualified young man. I expected him to be great. But boy, was I ever wrong. This guy took so long to explain everything that I began to dread talking with him. He was just too slow. Yes, he was thorough and painstaking, but he couldn't keep pace. He wasted too much time.
Business is no place for stream-of-consciousness babbling, no matter how colorfully you think you speak. Whatever you do, keep it short, fast, and right to the point.
Being concise is polite. It shows that you respect other people's time. When most folks have to listen to endless discourses, they squirm, their minds wander, or they frequently don't listen. Instead of making their points, long-winded talkers turn off their audiences.
Before I went into partnership with the Brazilian entrepreneur Ricardo Bellino in Trump Realty Brazil, which will be the largest golf and residential complex in Latin America, I gave him only three minutes to explain his idea. I was extremely busy and not eager to listen to a presentation.
I expected him to decline. But not only did Ricardo accept my terms, he made such a great presentation in the allotted time that I was fascinated with the deal. Now we're partners. It's amazing what people can do when they have deadlines.
So, give yourself deadlines. Practice delivering your presentation in less than five minutes, and then chop it to three minutes. Anything longer can seem like a lecture. Edit yourself by cutting everything that isn't absolutely necessary. The people you speak to will be grateful that you distilled your pitch to its essence. If they have questions, they'll ask, which is what you want.
Extraneous information in long-winded presentations is like junk mail. Everyone hates junk mail, especially busy people. No one wants to sort through irrelevant stuff.
So instead of delivering verbal junk, limit your pitch to only necessary information.
Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University. This blog post is adapted from his new and highly successful book, Trump 101. This book, soon to be an international bestseller, would make a tremendous present for all the success-oriented people on your holiday shopping list.
GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTSFROM TRUMP UNIVERSITY
To give someone on your shopping list the gift of knowledge, be sure to check out Trump University's special holiday offers. Why not give the gift of success this holiday season?
Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University.
Trump University Wealth Building 101 Your First 90 Days on the Path to Prosperity
Trump 101 Author: Donald Trump Publisher: Wiley
Trump University Marketing 101 How to Use the Most Powerful Ideas in Marketing to Get More Customers
Trump University Real Estate 101 Building Wealth with Real Estate Investments
Trump University Entrepreneurship 101 How to Turn Your Idea into a Money Machine
Trump University Asset Protection 101 Tax and Legal Strategies of the Rich