Lessons in Leadership

I was taking notes on my laptop during this entire episode. And as it was drawing to a close, I looked at my screen and saw that every note I had taken had to do with leadership.

Here are the leadership lessons I learned this week.

A Great Leader Needs Creativity and Strength

Tom is creative, and his unusual mind could have brought a lot of added value to his team in the weeks ahead. But at the same time, it was obvious that he was simply not strong enough to lead.  

To be specific, he made one very common leadership mistake: he was too swayed by friendship. There was nothing for him to gain by defending Dennis, just because Dennis had become a friend. Everyone could see that Tom was putting himself in real peril because of that - and in the end, it got him fired.

Leaders Mature at Different Times

Tom has the potential to be a strong leader. But he is not ready yet. He lacks maturity and direction.

That is part of the secret of becoming a leader. Some people are born leaders who burst right into top positions of authority (see Robert Kiyosaki’s book, Rich Dad Poor Dad).  Other people need time to grow into leadership roles. They will become strong leaders, but they need to take a slower, less direct path to the top.

For example, I have known some very fine leaders who needed to spend five years, or even more, working in corporate settings before they were ready to take the reins.

Neither path is right for everyone. Your job is to find the route that is best for you.

Jesse, to My Mind, Has Great Promise

Jesse is a quiet guy. He never acts up. He puts the team’s agenda before his own. He makes great suggestions and has great ideas.

And let me share a secret with you, based on my own candidacy on the show:

Jesse is the kind of candidate that Mr. Trump really admires.

Mr. Trump doesn’t like show-boaters. He likes strong, loyal dependable leaders who put their heads down and get on with it.  I really want to see what Jesse can accomplish when he takes a leadership role. When he steps into his first critical Project Manager assignment, I think we are going to see him soar in the ranks of possible Apprentice winners. He is the kind of quiet guy who is pacing himself perfectly to make it into the final group of contestants.

Even Good Leaders Don’t Win Every Time

You have to agree that neither Brande nor Tom were perfect leaders. Like most leaders, they had both strengths and flaws. Yet when sales were tallied, the women won and the men lost.

That is the reality in business and life - one side wins, the other loses. Sometimes you will be defeated by someone who is weaker than you. When that happens, you will be wondering why.

That is just the way it works, and it explains why real leaders never stay stalled for too long after one defeat. They know that success is not built in a day. It is a long-term process. They learn and move on.

Next week . . .

I look forward to watching next week and sharing my opinions with you here. Please add your comments to this post, and your observations too. I know we are all going to learn a lot from this exciting season.  

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