Back to business

I can't wait for The Apprentice to fill my midweek once again. Do you like it? If you do, tell me why. If you don't, then tell me why.

Why?

Because this tells you a lot about yourself and why you do things. Understanding what makes you tick and pushing these feelings is a great way to gauge your progress and avoid burn-out or de-motivation.

Example: You need to deal with a client. They are sitting on a cheque (apparently made out to you and just waiting to be posted) - money which you could do with... but chasing the client will not only make them feel chased and confronted, it is likely to make you feel bad, because you already did the work! And why wouldn't they be ecstatically happy to reach into there pockets and shower you with cash?! Running through this experience in your mind prior to acting upon it will help you achieve the most favorable solution for the both of you. Putting yourself in their shoes and then back into your own will often help you establish a deeper understanding of what is really going on. You could decide to forget about it and allow the client time to post it... but we all know that this is surest route to them not paying you. You may decide to chase hard. This may get the response that you were looking for - c'est possible... but it may also entrench their position even further. Let us for a moment imagine that they loved the work that you carried out them - but can't understand why you charge so much. Let us imagine that they are on minimum wage and then along comes a young(ish) business owner charging themselves out at 'X' pounds per hour. They may have grounds (in their mind) to withhold payment to see what occurrs... just to see if you chase the invoice. So if you eventually decide to chase hard - they may go on the defensive. No one wins.

So what do you do? You weight up your alternatives, what are you most likely to do? Change that train of thought to one where you both are likely to benefit and save face. This is what I mean when I say 'ask questions of your methods and thought processes', the very same instincts that you use to weight up others motives. You must be the person who understands you better than anyone. This re-adjustment of the decision making process is helping me on a day to day basis.

So what is it I like most about The Apprentice and why oh why did I burn a few summers being hooked on Big Brother? I find that watching others going on a journey and imagining myself in their positions a complete fascination. I initially align myself with a particular few characters and watch them. When I see them doing embarrassing things and making crazy business calls... I imagine that I could have done that too and how would I recover from it. I am infuriated at some of the contestants, because I can relate to their mental weakness... and see my actions in their actions. I learn from this.

You should learn from this too, and learn from the many people that you meet during your day. Imagine what it is to be them and how to overcome confrontations.

Engine[er]