NBC.com

April 12, 2006 | permalink
Presented by Trump University

Episode Summary: For their task this week, the teams renovated recreation rooms in Boys and Girls Clubs. Ace Hardware supplied the paint and renovating supplies. Executives from Ace Hardware and the Boys and Girls Club of America chose the winning room. Lenny, project manager for Gold Rush, did not ask his team for ideas. Instead, he decreed that they would create a music room, equipped with keyboards and electronic instruments. Although he held a planning meeting with the executive judges, Lenny did not ask them what they wanted to room to be. He had already decided on a music room.

As project manager for Synergy, Michael got off to a better start by asking the judges about their vision for the room renovation. But then he droned on too long with his questions, which irritated his team members. In the end, Synergy came up with a strong plan for the room. Instead of offering just one activity for kids, they would create a room called "The Lounge" with four activity areas: TV, gaming, a girls’ area, and musical activities.

Both teams budgeted their time badly and had to work all night to get their rooms ready. Both rooms looked attractive, but in the end the judges selected Synergy’s multifaceted room as the obvious winner.

In the boardroom firing, Charmaine attacked Lenny for his bumbling leadership. Lenny fought back, claiming that Charmaine was the real reason for the loss. Still, Lenny’s dictatorial management and puny concept were impossible to conceal and Mr. Trump fired him on the spot.

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This episode explored complex leadership issues. How can an inexperienced leader get top-notch results from a team, for example? Can loyalty to a bad leader damage your career? Let's take a closer look.

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When Michael ran out of intelligent questions to ask the executives from Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Ace Hardware, he couldn’t stop himself from rambling into a series of repetitive, useless questions. The strong first impression he made evaporated fast.

Success Lesson

Keep it short and smart. Improvising will not make you look clever or produce good results. When you have said what you have to say, let other members of your team take over.

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When Michael micromanaged by asking his team too many questions ("Do we need a different color for the pipes?"), his mania for details made his team laugh out loud.

Success Lesson

Let people make decisions. This was one of the great management techniques of Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart. He told sales associates, "When resolving a problem with a customer, go ahead and make any decision that makes sense to you." Learning to delegate authority early in your career makes you look like you are ready for great things.

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When both team leaders let their planning run too long, they ran out of the time they needed to shop for renovating supplies – and for painting and fixing up. The result? Panic and mediocre presentations to the judges.

Success Lesson

Budget your time. Even if you are managing a demanding project, you can still say, "We have four days to put together this client presentation, which leaves us one day for brainstorming, two days to create the PowerPoint slides and one day for final review." Learn to budget time and avoid last-minute crunches, preferably early in your career. It is a fast route to the top.

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When Lee forged an irrational friendship with Lenny and tried to protect him from being fired, he looked bad and put his own position in jeopardy.

Success Lesson

Make other people earn your loyalty. You will like some of the people you work with and dislike others. Set all that aside and forge alliances slowly. It is wisest to be loyal to effective, honorable people who get great things done – even if you don’t feel personal affection for them.

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What will happen next week? Lenny and Brent, this season's two "loose cannons" are gone, leaving a field of shrewd players who will bring the competition to a higher level in the weeks ahead. Roxanne, Tammy, Sean and the others are formidable competitors indeed. Let's see how they do!