Lessons Learned

FIT

• Giving back. The task for this episode demonstrated sound business strategy from Stewart and was squarely aligned with her target consumer's preferences. Stewart knows it is a winning formula to connect with her customers, and she uses pets to do this. Aligning with charities and cause-related marketing is simply good business for any company. It creates good will and positions the business in a positive light with customers.
   

• Stand by your team. In the beginning of the episode, Primarius waited anxiously to see whom Stewart had fired, nervous no doubt that they might still be saddled with Jim. Sarah, however, displayed professional maturity noting, "whoever walks through that door gets 100 percent of my support. They are still on my team." Good for her. True team players understand that though they don't always control the cards they are dealt, they have to make the best play with them.
   

• Establish rapport. Amanda began her negotiation meeting with celebrity Fran Drescher by first complimenting her inspirational cancer book. Smart negotiators find a point of connection with their customers. They acknowledge them and note something they have in common. The best salespeople will even mirror their prospects communication style and body posture. This puts people at ease and makes them feel more comfortable.
   

• Do your homework before negotiations. Despite their project manager Jim's direction to get drunk and forget about work, Primarius members Carrie and Bethenny -- who seem to actually care about their careers -- smartly spent time preparing for their morning meeting by researching their celebrity, Todd Oldham. Their research paid off because this was the final auction item -- and it pushed the team's auction earnings ahead of Matchstick's.

UNFIT

• Professional boundaries. Jim continues to display inappropriate behavior. Has it occurred to him that he is on national television and may be committing career suicide? This week, as project manager, he took his team to a bar to celebrate. Mind you, taking a work team out for drinks to celebrate isn't necessarily a bad idea, but workplace boundaries still apply. Apparently unconcerned with conventional rules of propriety among co-workers, Jim told a cocktail waitress "we're trying to get drunk here. We need a beer bong, a keg and three bottles of Cuervo." And astonishingly, Jim encouraged his team to "get drunk and have sex." This could easily be considered sexual harassment and result in legal liability.
   

• Arrogance. Jim's arrogance and bravado is shameless, "I can get as drunk as I want because I'm the project manager. I'm invincible." There is a big difference between confidence -- a plus for winning in business -- and the arrogance of a pompous jerk.
   

• Get in the game. David did little to contribute to his team. He was a sideline player. During negotiations with celebrities, the best he could bring to the table was his laptop to take notes. Experienced professionals ask if they can take notes during negotiations. More importantly, if you are part of a negotiations team, contribute something of value. The fly on the wall approach is not a good strategy.  Both David and Marcela were too passive in the negotiation sessions. Marcela tried to explain away her reticence by describing herself as a "quiet force to be reckoned with," but her explanation was not convincing. David probably felt somewhat intimidated by the task at hand, so he retreated to the background and took notes on a laptop.
  
  The bottom line? If Marcela and David are introverts, they probably prefer situations in which they can sit back, observe and contemplate what they see and hear. Unfortunately, their silence could lead someone to conclude that they have no contributions to make to the task at hand. Therefore, it's important for naturally introverted people to make the effort to say something to keep others from thinking that they are aloof.
   

• Not everyone is cut out to be a leader. While leadership skills can be improved and fine tuned, some people simply aren't cut out to be leaders. Project manager Marcela was clearly out of her comfort zone in a leadership position. She brought little value to her team. She failed to guide, direct or be involved in any of the negotiations. Her team performed in spite of her, not because of her. The challenge facing most organizations is leveraging the skills and strengths of their people into areas that bring the most value to the organization.

The Endangered Species List:

The following people are on this week's endangered species list, based upon the likelihood that they will "just not fit in" in the near future: