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An Xbox-ing Match at Wal-Mart
Gathering the
final five job applicants in the glittery
showroom of the Donald J. Trump Watch Collection,
Mr. Trump emphasized that time was running
short in the 15-week interview process. The mogul then exhorted his eager
wannabes to develop similarly impressive retail displays for two companies
that combined, were worth over a half trillion dollars: Microsoft and
Wal-Mart.
Gold Rush and Synergy were assigned this specific
task: To create a customized and original
Wal-Mart in-store themed area for customers to demo the new Xbox 360 game
system.
Tammy grabbed the joystick of leadership
for Synergy while an enthusiastic
Sean did the same for Gold Rush. "I decided
to step up," said Sean. "My juices are flowing on this one."
Warning Signs for Synergy and Gold
Rush
Despite a history of good relations, Synergy found itself in disarray during
the task. PM
Tammy didn't click with colleagues
Roxanne and
Allie, who mostly kept to themselves in a
clique of two. They disliked Tammy's idea of a red carpet environment
highlighting entertainment options for the Xbox, but failed to offer
alternatives. Tammy felt so much resistance that
she sat her colleagues down to address the
eye rolling and disrespect she had encountered all day.
Allie brushed aside Tammy's criticism: "We weren't rolling our eyes, we were
raising our eyebrows." But observer Bill Rancic disliked the bad attitude he
saw in a brief visit, noting that, "If you're on a team you should be
working 100 percent as a team trying to win." Still, the event came together
passably in the end, despite some
lackluster signs, courtesy of Roxanne.
In contrast,
Sean and Lee showed
a fine rapport as they conceptualized their
360 degree Xbox environment for Wal-Mart and found outside vendors to
produce their signage. Sean's vision was creating an "interactive spectacle"
of entertainment. Lee was enthusiastic about their
process and work flow: "We outsourced
everything... Let them do what they do, let us do what we do."
Unfortunately, one of their vendors didn't do what he was supposed to do, so
their spectacle lacked a roof and looked like a
spectacular disaster. Sean and Lee simply
did their best and hoped a clear presentation and solid overall concept
would carry the day.
Rueful Gold Rush Sings a Different
Toon
Microsoft and Wal-Mart executives found Synergy's black-velvet lounge
inviting, but they felt it wasn't retail-oriented enough. In contrast, Gold
Rush's offering had the virtue of a clear sales mission and a unifying
concept, even if "it wasn't perfect execution." Gold Rush's reward was a
trip to Hollywood on a private jet to meet
with movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, and audition for a role in DreamWorks
Animation's new flick, Over the Hedge.
After touchdown,
Lee and
Sean enjoyed a stretch-limo ride to the
studio where they got a personal tour from Katzenberg, met with Tinseltown
creative types and then hit the recording studio to do voice work for small
roles in the upcoming animated comedy. After acing the audition,
tongue-in-cheek Sean instantly went Hollywood, "I truly believed in my soul
that I was Barbeque Barry." Meanwhile back in New York, Synergy was
preparing for a different kind of grilling--in the boardroom.
With Three, You Get Eye Rolls
In trouble from the get go,
Tammy got no boardroom support from
Roxanne or
Allie--or
Mr. Trump, who compared Synergy's space to
a "cheap, third-rate liquor lounge." Tammy defended herself by knocking her
gossipy, do-little colleagues. "All the responsibility fell to me in this
task," said Tammy, "and I couldn't count on my team members."
Ivanka rallied to Tammy's side. "Allie,
you're rolling your eyes a lot, but you haven't said anything. Now would be
a good time to speak up." Allie again tried to say that she hadn't been
rolling her eyes, but Ivanka shut her down and
Bill jumped in to dispute it as well. He
criticized Allie for showing disrespect to the PM and Allie belatedly
apologized to Tammy. Trump asked Tammy which of her colleagues was the
worst, and she bluntly stated, "I feel Roxanne has been riding Allie's
coattails for 12 weeks now."
A three-way
eruption of bickering ensued, which forced
Trump to shout them down: "You're giving me a headache!" Trump appreciated
Tammy's passionate defense, noting that, "When somebody says something about
me, I hate them for the rest of my life." But in the end, he concluded that
Tammy couldn't control her colleagues and was in over her head. "Your
leadership wasn't good and your design stunk," Trump told her, before
delivering his coup de grace, "Tammy,
you're fired."
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