Category View (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 more...

  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 more...

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 more...

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 more...

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 more...

 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...

 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 more...

If you would like to give a gift that will change someone's life in the New Year, take a close look at this year's selection of special holiday gift packets from Trump University. You'll find books, audio courses, self-assessments, online courses - and lots more. All of these packets deliver remarkable value, just in time for the holidays. For Someone Who is Just Starting a Career . . . The Career Booster Packet combines three of our most popular career audio courses in one powerful package. Your lucky relative or friend will unwrap Get That Job; Play to Win in Business and in more...