The Celebrity Apprentice—Lessons Learned

Filmed in New York City, Donald Trump has just launched a brand new season of The Celebrity Apprentice.  I love the business-related lessons that can be learned from watching this dynamic television program.

This season 16 celebrities have been selected to compete against one another in business-related team challenges to raise money for charity and to be named this year’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”  Each of the two teams is given the same project, which includes many tasks to be divided among the team members.  The team chooses a project manager, who leads the team throughout the duration of the project.  The celebrities use their leadership and communication skills, business expertise, celebrity status, and professional networks to win challenges.  Upon meeting tight project deadlines, the teams are brought back into a boardroom and evaluated by Donald Trump and his advisors.  In the boardroom, the project manager and individual members of the team must defend their decisions and behaviors.

This program introduces managers and administrative professionals to several key business skills:

• Teamwork and how to work effectively in teams.
• Leadership and how to motivate and lead a team towards success.
• Communication and how to best communicate with business leaders and teammates.
• Networking and how to best leverage your network and the power of social media.
• Success and the overall planning and strategy needed to meet and exceed expectations.

Although I am aware that not everything we view on television “is real” and can often times “be staged,” I am both impressed and sometimes disappointed by the professionalism of celebrities.  I find it eye-opening to watch how people interact with one another.  It’s also insightful to observe the incredible ideas, skills, and talents of so many extraordinary individuals.  I believe there are valuable lessons that can be learned about business by watching teams interact on television and by listening to the reasoning of Donald Trump and his advisors when someone is about to be told “You’re Fired!”

There are many lessons in life to learn.  The Celebrity Apprentice has provided me a sneak peek into Donald Trump’s reality television boardroom, which has in turn helped me to become more business savvy.  At the end of the day, I’m appreciative for some television programs that still offer value by promoting success and creating a portal by which money can be raised to promote charities and good causes.

By the way, if you have not had the chance to visit New York City, I would highly recommend placing this exciting adventure on your bucket list.