Lessons Learned

• Fight back fast.

  • When Surya seized the role of project manager for Arrow, he showed the gumption to rebuild his reputation after the damage that Aaron had inflicted on him last week. His team won and he succeeded. If your reputation suffers damage, don't wait for people to notice that you have what it takes to succeed. Strike back fast and prove your value.

• Positive attitudes win.

  • Frank has a positive attitude that is infectious. Whether he is in the tents or in the mansion, he is upbeat and enthusiastic. He boasted that he was a selling machine and delivered on his promise.

• Book knowledge doesn't cut it in the real world.

  • In a do-or-die business situation, you have to produce results, not ideas. Surya talked a good game about how much he knew about marketing. But then he failed to account for the fact that the majority of the customers in their mall were Hispanic

• Your success begins and ends with how well you know your customer.

  • In the end, all other concerns are secondary. When both teams overlooked the fact that the majority of their target consumers were Hispanic, they made a staggering marketing mistake. In fact, both teams deserved to lose

• The best team players jump in when needed.
  • Derek and Muna both recognized the need for Spanish translation and jumped in to help with the enrollment process. They took it upon themselves to try to find a way to service the Hispanic demographic because their leader failed to do so. These are the kind of people you want to hire -- those with a "we make it happen" approach. Natural leaders like Heidi continue to shine despite having no real leader during this week's task. She is competent, bright and collaborative. In the most telling line of the show, Aimee tried to pin the loss on her team in the boardroom, telling Trump that her team was "not the same team that Heidi managed; this was different." You bet it was, Aimee. The difference was in leadership. Heidi is a talented leader, and you are not.
• Delegate Wisely.

  • Aimee had poor delegating skills. Just because you delegate as a manager doesn't mean that you are delegating well. It is important to assess competence and commitment to the task before delegating. Some managers make the mistake of walking away completely after delegating, while others do not truly understand what is practical to execute when trying to delegate. Amy blew it on both fronts.

• Communicate up the line.
  • If you have key information and are part of a team, it is imperative to share that information even if you think your boss should have known. Derek and Jen were both guilty of not sharing that they learned that the mall's clientele was 50 percent Hispanic. Derek thought it was important enough to ask the question but chose not to share it with Aimee. We all have a tendency to assume what others understand, and this is a surefire way to get in trouble in business. In any case, Aimee should have clued in to the people at the mall. As Trump said, it was a task about people. How could you not ask or be aware of your customers?
• You can't be both a friend and an adversary.
  • When Aimee told Jenn how she intended to attack her in the boardroom firing, she gave away her competitive advantage. Sending mixed messages that way puts you at a competitive disadvantage and makes you look weak
• How we face both victory and defeat is a measure of our character and maturity.
  • Where to begin? This was an ugly win. Let's see ... Surya believes at this point that his leadership won the day, which tells you how out of touch he is with reality. Frank was extremely disrespectful with his cartoon drawing of Surya. Other team members were constantly rolling their eyes at their leaders. Two members of the winning team have an office romance. Nobody marketed to the Hispanic population. Aimee leads trying to get consensus over whether a pink octopus decoration should be used (what a waste of your team's time and talent). Candidates were yelling over each other in the boardroom. Aimee blames everyone else for the loss. Bad-mouthing and blaming others for overall poor performance is not what true leaders do.