I'm not much of a consistent TV watcher, but over the past several weeks I have been following the show 'Celebrity Apprentice'. No, I am not a fan of reality shows, nor of The Donald, but I do find this show lends itself to the study of human nature, leadership, submission, wisdom, and arrogance, even if it is edited to a degree.
The premise of the show intrigues me as it brings several celebrities to the board room to participate in various projects assigned by Donald Trump. The celebs are divided into gender groups, with each group assigning a project manager to lead the group. The project is reviewed by various individuals, with one team being declared a winner and all of their members safe from possible termination. The PM for the winning team gets big money for their charity, while the losing team faces an evaluation by Trump that culminates in his famous scowl and harshly spewed "You're fired" to one unfortunate player.
This week's episode really brought some seemingly basic business principles to the forefront, that are really biblical in origin. I guess because leadership has been something I've been reviewing in dship and we've been learning about off and on during our Sunday morning study of I Timothy, I am especially aware of it. So, in random order...leadership principle lessons from Celebrity Apprentice.....
1. Managers are not always leaders... There have been a myriad of project managers, but really very few true leaders. Case in point, when Gary Busey had the position of PM this past week, he could not lead his group if his life had depended upon it...and thank goodness it didn't. He did not have a 'big' picture mentality, nor did he have any idea of what the final goal was, thus no one was following because they didn't have anything to follow. Or Star Jones...now that woman is just plain bossy and slick, often taking the easy tasks, while trying to dictate to others what they should do whether it's her business to be doing so...but rarely does she elicit good from those around her, and if she does, it's always to her advantage to do so.
2. But leaders always influence whether titled or not.... For the most part, the celebs that participate on this show have excelled in their chosen profession. An exception would be LaToya Jackson (does she have a purpose other than being related to the Jackson family?), but I digress. One might think that with that much ego in a room, that there would be a lot of leading and little following going on. Interestingly, even though they aren't always PMs, John Rich and Marlee Maitlin always bring it to the table. They tend to heavily influence by virtue of their example, their servant hood, their ability to submit to those in authority over them and their ability to draw out the best in their peers - true leadership. And when they are project managers...WOW! Even when Rich's patience was tested beyond normal as a team member under Busey's management, he never lost sight of the big picture...he was there to win money for needy causes, whether his own or another team members! Sounds like several people I know who want to please God, regardless of their title or station in life....
3. There are no guarantees that with age comes wisdom.... that was evident a couple of weeks ago when Dionne Warwick, the matriarch diva, decided that her 'age' afforded her the privilege of not having to work late hours with the team, then she expected the team to cover for her...bad, bad choice. Sometimes we see that in churches...just because someone is older, or has been there a long time is no reason to automatically assign them leadership positions.
4. Wisdom sometimes comes in young packages... this past week, one of the youngest women players was PM. Interestingly, she did not volunteer to be a PM until late in the game. Under her leading, her team won and when asked by Trump how she did it, she said she'd had the privilege of watching the other 'older' players lead and gleaned from their experience, wisdom and training. How very, very astute! Kind of reminds me of Timothy....
5. The buck stops with the one in charge... most of the time, Trump will hold the PM's feet to the fire and you can tell he is a firm believer in the adage that with authority comes responsibility. Unless there is truly a bonehead move by a non PM, The Donald usually cuts the manager loose. That would be the most viable explanation for crazy Gary Busey or parasite LaToya Jackson getting as far along in the game as they have...well either that or ratings...Trump is not a stupid man! If you want to lead a family, a business, a ministry, a church or a disciple, you must be willing to take the heat for the decisions you make!
6. The hardest words for a leader to say or hear....more on that tomorrow....
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