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Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned Blog by Randal Pinkett
Trump University

Celebrity Apprentice Finale:
PERFORM UNDER PRESSURE

This week's task - The teams sold tickets for Cirque du Soleil's show Wintuk, created promotions for Kodak EasyShare digital photo frames, and ran silent auction events to raise money. The winning team would be picked based on its overall performance in those multiple tasks.

Team membership this week - Joan's team had Clint, Herschel and Melissa. Annie's had Brande, Dennis and Tom.

Who were the project managers? - Annie and Joan, the two finalists.

Who won? - Annie's team raised $465,725 and Joan's raised $150,830. However, Mr. Trump named Joan Rivers this season's winner because of her team's stronger overall performance in this week's task.

This week's finale taught some critical lessons about performing under stress. Let's take a closer look.

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Lesson One: Break Big Projects Down

The silent auction was really five projects rolled into one. In response, Annie and Joan tried their best to break the project down and delegate parts of it to their teams. Yet under the pressure, both of them dropped important details. For example, they both forgot to invite celebrities to their auctions until very late in the game.

So remember that staying organized will give you a critical advantage - even when time is tight.

Lesson Two: Reframe Assignments

Each team had to sell a block of tickets to Wintuk. Dennis and Tom took their team's double-decker bus to Times Square and tried to sell tickets to tourists there. In contrast, Herschel did something absolutely brilliant. He sold all his tickets to one wealthy contact of his - and then he and Melissa simply gave their tickets away to tourists. They disposed of all their tickets immediately and went back to help their teams!

So remember to analyze assignments carefully to see if there is a faster, more efficient way to handle them. You don't always have do things the hard way.

Lesson Three: Take Risks

When Ivanka reminded Joan that celebrities were expected at the silent auction, Joan's first idea was to invite Cher and Barbra Streisand. When she realized that was impossible on such short notice, she invited a group of female impersonators to come to the event, where they would dress up as Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Cher and other celebrities, including Joan Rivers herself.

That was good quick thinking, but it was also risky, because families are a key demographic for Kodak EasyShare products. The Kodak executive who was judging the event could easily have said, "Transvestites are so wrong for our brand image that Joan is the loser." Yet that did not happen. Joan took a big risk and got away with it.

If you take big risks too often, people will call you reckless. But if you take calculated risks occasionally and score big wins, you will build your profile as a creative thinker. That, in turn, will free you to take even more risks.

Lesson Four: You Have To Be Heard

In the boardroom firing and the final live segment, Annie attempted to explain to Mr. Trump that Joan had angered the event designer so much that the designer quit and jeopardized both teams. But Joan shouted, interrupted and would simply not let Annie talk.

Yet the fact is that Annie was reporting to Mr. Trump, not to Joan. Therefore, Annie had the right to be heard by him. And she should have made sure that happened.

If you find yourself in a position where your ability to communicate to your leaders is being blocked, you have to find a way to get through to them anyway. Send a memo or arrange a one-on-one meeting. It is your right and your responsibility to be heard.

Lesson Five: You Need Something Special to Win

As Jim Cramer documented, Annie had a strong statistical edge going into this episode. Annie had won two tasks as a project manager, and lost none. Compare that to Joan, who had won one task and lost one. Annie was also on more winning teams overall - seven, vs. Joan's six.

Annie was a statistical winner over Joan for other reasons too. She raised far more money this season. This week alone, her team raised three times as much money in the auction than Joan's team did.

Yet when the final decision was made, Joan won and was named Celebrity Apprentice. The precise reasons are hard to pinpoint. It could be her long history of championing charitable causes, her passion - or simply that special something that winners always have.

So remember that your success will be built not only on numbers. You have to act honorably, take your hard knocks - an ultimately, stay in the game.

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See you next season! This was a thrilling season, with lots of lessons to learn. Before we know it, another season will be here. Until then, work smart and succeed! See you there.

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Related Links

Trump Blog
http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blog/index.cfm

Apprentice Blog
http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blogs/apprentice/index.cfm

Trump Challenge
http://www.trumpuniversity.com/apprentice/index.cfm

Randal Pinkett's product The No-Money Down CEO
http://www.trumpuniversity.com/products/entrepreneurship/no-money-down-ceo.cfm

Next On

Congratulations to the winner of The Celebrity Apprentice, Joan Rivers! Final tally: $1,560,000 raised for charity!

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