The Apprentice Analysed

The underlying message from the final of the Young Apprentice was that it was a shame someone had to lose. Last week's show, when the losing team was summarily and carelessly dismissed regardless of their prior performance, revealed the truth: they didn't care who won. 

It rendered the final one-sided with the only realistic judgement being to award the prize to Zara Brownless over her opponent, James McCullogh. Harry H in particular can consider himself hard done by and it would have made a more interesting final if he had been contesting it. 

James has improved as the series has progressed and, consistent with that, he saved his best performance till last. He has self belief and is single minded but unfortunately he can take these qualities too far, making him arrogant and negative. He calls this risk-taking but it can just boil down to egocentricity and not appreciating the contributions of team members. 

Zara Brownless was a deserved winner. She has a very singular vision, has a long term view and is very good at getting the job done. 

Calm and assured, she is an excellent communicator who threw herself into all of the tasks she faced. It is hard to believe, like so many of the candidates, that she is only a teenager. 

Last night's project, to design and market a computer game, saw the return of the previously fired contestants. They were assigned to their teams by Lord Sugar himself rather than have them go through the playground humiliation of having the captains choose. (A teacher at my sons' old school once made the last chosen pupil cry by saying "Never mind. You're probably good at history or something"). 

After a slow start, James created a good concept and brought the team together well. Zara did the same however and put in another very good all-round performance. Her focus, structure and ability to sell helped her to win the series. Her one weakness is that it takes a lot to shift her from her pet ideas. It's not that she doesn't listen it's just that she prefers her own proposals better. In other words, she's a bit condescending. 

I found James's idea more entertaining last night but as usual with the last programme of every Apprentice, it is the overall performance that counts. 

So Daddy Warbucks found his Annie in Zara and a well deserved winner she is. 

It's the misery of six for Harry Maxwell (right): six tasks, six defeats and yet, somehow, six escapes.

How Harry has survived this long is a bit of a mystery, although last night Lizzie, project manager of the losing team, in a task to source products, chose not to bring the serial loser into the boardroom.

Harry definitely learned a few valuable lessons early in the process which was all to his credit. Learning new habits takes time and the harder it is the more effort it'll take. Harry seems able to adopt the new behaviours for a limited period only before his old ways return.

Lizzie had the right idea to keep a close eye on him but then failed to do so. Having made a good start in the task Harry then reverted to his default egocentric state. Changing our behaviour is clearly possible but the more ingrained it is, the more concentration it takes and Harry doesn't yet have the stamina to make the change sustainable. He's lucky to have made it this far but should not last much longer.

Hayley, left, was fired last night, which was the right decision of those in the boardroom, but the reason for her dismissal is questionable.

Hayley has been a team player for most tasks, a quiet and unobtrusive presence. She hasn't contributed as much as some of the others and for that she was never going to win.

However the reason for her exit was that she lacked aggression and that is something we need to mindful of.

People spout a lot of nonsense about supposed differences between men and women, many of which are quite spurious. One real difference though is men are typically more aggressive than women. Organisations tend to focus on this characteristic, implicitly and explicitly, when looking for leaders and then wonder why they have screened out females.

Hayley was right to say, sitting in the back of the Rolls Royce, that this was not something that she was going to change. There are many ways to an effective leader and she needs to find the way that suits her.

I am happy to report that the people identified as potential winners are still in the running to be crowned Young Apprentice. Next week Lord Sugar sends the candidates up to Leeds to develop a new brand of popcorn. When they return, more than one will be fired.

Two contrasting ways of getting a team to respect the leader: Zara Brownless did it by demonstrating her expertise whereas Harry Maxwell chose status. Of the two approaches the former will always be more successful as proved to be the case in the latest challenge to design and market a new deodorant.

When Karen Brady announced the line-ups at Wembley Stadium it was clear that one team was considerably stronger than the other comprising as it did three of the potential winners of the programme: Harry Hitchens, Haya Al Dlame and Zara Brownless. They are strong characters but they are willing  to work as a team. Zara impressed because she was prepared to put aside her own pet idea and then commit wholeheartedly to a completely different concept. Collectively they showed what a team of very different people can do if they can be engaged and persuaded to work towards an agreed goal.
Harry M unfortunately relied on his position to get his ideas accepted, constantly repeating the phrase 'I am the project leader'. This effectively disempowered his team who felt that they weren't being listened to. The group itself comprised the most negative people in the competition who are more than willing to dismiss others' ideas. When you add desperately poor planning to the mix then unfortunately you end up with deserving losers. Research has shown that for teams to be effective you should have a minimum of 3 positive comments for each negative one going up to a maximum of 12 to 1. I wouldn't be surprised if the ratio for Harry's team was 1:3 i.e. more negative than positive remarks.

There was also a bit of payback for Harry M. Having been a poor team player in some of the earlier programmes the opportunity was not missed by his team to give him a taste of his own medicine. One of the qualities of a leader is to be good follower and having not been one in the past his team could see little point in supporting him. His 'Do you know who I am?' schtick only served to compound peoples' already negative perception of him. Incidentally a good reply, if you come across someone using that line, is 'Why have you forgotten? (Tyler Moon, Eastenders).

Gbemi was fired for her poor design, which was unfortunate as the poorest in the team was Lizzie but she wasn't brought back into the boardroom. Having said that, Gbemi was never going to win primarily due to her lack of flexibility.  Too often she would miss the point of what was being said and her lack of self reflection meant that she hasn't really developed as the series has progressed.

Loyalty is a commonplace but complex emotion in the workplace. It is a combination of the pride that comes with being associated with someone who is liked and admired, having a shared set of values and attitudes, as well frequency of contact.

People who are loyal to one another will have some form of shared identity therefore, and will make sacrifices for the welfare of the other person.

You can see the effect of excessive loyalty every week: David Cameron is fiercely loyal to members of his team (e.g. Andy Coulson) despite the criticism he personally attracts.

Last night Hannah Richards' team only just lost in a task selling flowers and as team leader she was fired, ostensibly because she made the wrong decision about pricing. The pricing was a mistake but the loyalty to two of her friends was a bigger one.

The team members she should have brought into the boardroom were Gbemi Okunlola and Lewis Roman but in trying to protect them she put herself into the firing line. As team leader Hannah, above, did little wrong up until that point, but she allowed her feelings toward her colleagues to affect her decision unduly.

Harry Maxwell, one of the people Hannah brought into boardroom, did well in the task. He was involved, determined and working for the good of the team. He reacted well to the feedback that he had been given last week and his performance was considerably better as a result. With the Young Apprentice it is potential that is being looked for and a key element of that is being able to learn, take on board criticism and improve, and that is exactly what he has done.

The other Harry (Hitchens), having made a confident and assured start is starting to show signs of smugness, if not arrogance. It was something that I felt had to be watched for and it emerged last night. He could win this but not based on that we saw in this episode. He pressured his colleagues unnecessarily, was dismissive of their views and made his own decisions.

Zara Brownless, left, is a confident, creative, customer-oriented person. She is determined to do her own thing however and, again, last night showed that she does not listen to her team mates. The voices that carry the greatest weight with her are those of the customers and, one presumes, the three judges. Her colleagues though come much lower down the pecking order and this highly independent streak needs to be reined in a bit as she is missing valuable advice that she is being given.

The leaders for me after the third week, based primarily on their potential are Haya, the two Harrys and Zara.

One of the most difficult tasks I think you could give a group of teenagers is to consider the needs of babies or in the case of last night's show to think of products for the parent and baby market. The candidates had no real interest in infants, didn't understand the demands faced by parents and had little knowledge of existing products. Not easy for them in other words but in the circumstances they made a good fist of the project although neither team produced a particularly great product as a result.

The girls team were led by Gbemi Okunola who despite describing herself as aggressive turned out to be good team leader: she listened, was organised and appeared to create a sense of both energy and fun. The fact that she makes her views known did not make her popular with some of the others but it does mean that people know where they stand with her. Her poor pitching style nearly led to defeat for her team however. The team was rescued by Haya Al Dlame, who grew in confidence as the project progressed who made the sales presentation that clinched it for her team. Her pitch worked because it was not only articulate  but made it clear that this was not just a baby item but a family one-something to be used by parents and grandparents. Gbemi may be a bit gobby but she and Haya stood out in their team.

The boys team were led by Lewis Roman but he never had a clear grip on the task and consequently the team. Lacking direction and focus he was preoccupied with what was going on at any given moment. Without  a sense of purpose it is difficult to get  team cohesion, which is difficult job to begin with when you have to deal with characters like James McCullagh and Harry Maxwell. They are not team players but for different reasons. James stands apart from the group-he's clever, confident but highly critical. He is an independent thinker but at least he is trying to contribute to the success of the team.

Harry M however is a different kettle of fish. His goal is not to help his team win but to ensure that he does well himself. It is the selfishness and the essentially threatening nature of his style that makes him an unappealing candidate even at this early stage.

Ben Fowler was the faller at the second hurdle of the series for basically not contributing much and it is difficult to argue with that. The highlight of the show was Zara who, given the task of producing the artwork for the packaging, paired a black mother with a white blonde baby and couldn't see how that could possibly be criticised. Maybe we should have guessed-after all her name is Brownless.

Take a bunch of ambitious, ridiculously optimistic young people and put them in a strange house without a parent in sight. Have them overseen by a gruff, mega-rich businessman whose heart is melted by the plight of the kids and who comes to learn the value of compassion and kindness. In short, The Young Apprentice is nothing less than a remake of the musical Annie with his Lordship in the role of Daddy Warbucks but with the person to play the L'il Orphan yet to be determined.

The first episode, which unfortunately I was unable to view until last night (Thursday), was notable for two reasons. Firstly, the way the boys team engineered defeat from a potential victory primarily due to under-pricing their ice-cream. Secondly, the somewhat dubious selling practices of the girls team.

One member of the boys, the loud and over confident James McCullagh, expressed a strong opinion that the ice creams should be sold for £1 each. The calm and competent team leader, Harry Hitchens, felt it was too low and set the price at £1.50 instead. Despite being 50% higher than the figure James had suggested, this price was still too low and was the principal reason for the defeat. 

What we saw here was a cognitive bias known as anchoring. It occurs when people focus too much on one factor (in this case the price of £1) and use this as the starting point for their subsequent decisions. If they had started with the price at which such ice-creams typically sell i.e. £2.50 to £3.00, they would have arrived at a higher figure and won.

The strategy of the girls team was to charge customers extra for the cone and even more for the sprinkles and syrups which they would add on without saying they were more expensive. Whilst loyal sidekick Nick Hewer, charitably described this as "upselling" in fact it was pretty unscrupulous. If their careers continue in this vein the girls will make ideal candidates for door-stepping sales agents of the type used by energy companies. Other TV appearances will be assured but only on Anne Robinson's Watchdog.

The young people need to learn that making money is one thing, but the way you do it is equally important. But as Alan Sugar only emphasised money-making it was not a surprise that they engaged in dodgy practice. The message they were getting about business was not a good one.

The first firing was of poor Mahamed Awale who incredibly had a bigger ego than James McCullagh. Aggrieved and bitter at his dismissal he left warning that Lord Sugar would regret that decision. Don't get too despondent though Mahamed, remember: The sun'll come out tomorrow...

The Apprentice is back, this time in its more youthful guise. It starts on Monday 24 October and is named Young Apprentice, as opposed to Junior. It's an eight-week series, with 12 candidates, profiled in the usual way below...

THE GIRLS

Elizabeth Magee ('Lizzie')
Age: 16
Education: Studying for A-levels in Economics, History, Politics and General Studies
Lives: Liverpool

Published author and rounders champion, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Magee's first job was collecting glasses in a pub. She now has her own business designing personalised guitar straps and also breeds Jack Russell Terriers. A gym fanatic, she describes herself as impatient and a "time freak."

She says: "I'm very, very determined and if I know how to get something, I will get it."

Gbemi Okunlola
Age: 16
Education: Studying for a Fashion and Design Advanced BTEC and an A-level in Business Studies
Lives: London

Award-winning fashion designer Gbemi has already started her own clothing line and is involved in both designing and making the clothes. Listing Louis Vuitton as her inspiration, Gbemi describes herself as a 'diva' and feels her strength is that she always works to her full potential.

She says: "If I believe that what I'm saying is right I will argue until my full voice and my full opinion is heard."

Hannah Richards
Age: 16
Education: Studying for A-levels in Government and Politics, History, Economics, Philosophy and Ethics
Lives: Berkshire

Female footballer Hannah has made money re-selling vintage clothes and creating school leavers' hoodies. She plays for two football teams and also enjoys architecture, hoping to get involved in property management in the future.

She says: "I want to show that you can succeed in the business field, without relying on numerous qualifications. The right mind and attitude is ultimately a much more important quality than 12 A*s"

Haya Al Dlame
Age: 17
Education: Studying for A-levels in Maths, Further Maths, Economics, Biology and an Extended Project
Lives: London

Born in Iraq, Haya moved to England with her family at the age of 6. A self-proclaimed bossy-boots who is determined to succeed in business, she is also a keen eBay trader and wishes she was the brains behind MAC cosmetics.

She says: "I have a big ego... I want to be known as Haya Al Dlame, the next deserving winner of Young Apprentice. "

Hayley Forrester
Age: 16
Education: Studying for A-levels in Biology, Maths, Business & Economics and ICT
Lives: Shrewsbury

Ambitious former head girl Hayley says her "life revolves around order." A farmer's daughter and member of Young Farmers herself, she passionately disagrees with people claiming benefits when they could be working. Inspired by drinks company Innocent, she sells free range, organic eggs from her own chickens.

She says: "I wear wellies, and I am not afraid to muck in"

Zara Brownless
Age: 16
Education: Studying for A Levels in English Literature, Maths, History and Theatre Studies
Lives: Hertfordshire

Film enthusiast Zara used to be a baby model and won a sock design competition when she was seven years old. She is inspired by Katherine Bigelow, the first female director to win an Oscar and currently produces films for charities. When she's not making movies, Zara enjoys running and playing table tennis.

She says: "Dreamers dream; people who achieve wake up, get out there and start doing stuff to make their dreams happen."

MEET THE BOYS

Ben Fowler
Age: 16
Education: Studying for a Business Diploma
Lives: Birmingham

A keen horticulturalist, Ben started a gardening business in his local area in 2008. He is involved in social enterprise projects providing voluntary services to the allotment association, having taken on his own allotment at a young age. In the future he hopes to help those with learning and behavioural problems study horticulture and agriculture.

He says: "I am an ordinary lad who wants to do the best not just for myself, but for everyone."

Harry Hitchens
Age: 17
Education: Studying for the International Baccalaureate
Lives: Brighton

Keen rugby player and scuba diver Harry also has an artistic side, and runs his own photography business. He has been working since he was nine, with jobs including gardening, selling at car boot sales and magazine delivery. He wishes he had invented the Cat's Eye road marker.

He says: "I aim high. I don't aim low ever. What are you ever going to gain from that? I aim high and I get there because of that determination, because I'm pretty ruthless in how I get there."

Harry Maxwell
Age: 16
Education: Studying for Pre-Us in Maths and Further Maths and A-levels in Geography and Economics and the Extended Project
Lives: Oxfordshire

School prefect Harry is a polo enthusiast and water-sports fanatic, as well as a talented singer and pianist. Inspired by Simon Cowell, entrepreneur Harry is a business veteran despite his young age. Starting his first business when he was ten, selling tickets on the internet, he has already started three successful businesses, encompassing travel, marketing, property and cosmetics.

He says: "In terms of my intellect, self-motivation, confidence and business instinct, for my age I am unrivalled. I have a pure entrepreneurial gift waiting to be unleashed and harnessed".

James McCullagh
Age: 17
Education: Studying for A=-levels in English, Economics, Spanish and Biology
Lives: County Derry, Northern Ireland

Irishman James describes himself as a risk-taker and always follows his gut instinct. He got the joint highest score in GCSE Economics in Northern Ireland and feels he is a natural businessman. He is a massive football fan and lists his passion as economics.

He says: "I have integrity, but when winning gets in the way of integrity, integrity goes out the window."

Lewis Roman
Age: 16
Education: Studying for A-levels in World Development, Psychology, Performing Arts, ICT
Lives: Merseyside

Describing himself as 'confident, charismatic and clever', Lewis's first foray into the business world was as an assistant stylist at a hair salon. A keen shopper and gym buff, Lewis now works in the food industry and hopes to change the world of business forever.

He says: "I'm not arrogant or backstabbing, I'm just a really great guy."

Mahamed Awale
Age: 16
Education: Studying for A-levels in Politics, Law, Economics and Psychology
Lives: Greater London

A keen inventor and fundraiser who describes himself as "competitive and charismatic," Mahamed who is the Youth Parliament Representative for his borough, has already made money buying and "selling TV satellites", although we presume he means satellite dishes. Inspired by Microsoft and Facebook, he hopes to bring about "monumental change" using politics and youth outreach schemes.

He says: "I have so many abilities and so many talents. I want to prove what an entrepreneurial person I am."

All pictures: © Talkback Thames / Jim Marks

Congratulations to Tom on being hired as Lord Sugar's Apprentice for 2011. His success is good news not just for Tom, but also for business in general for two key reasons. 

Firstly, Lord Sugar's decision makes it clear that you don't have to be a megalomaniac in business to be successful. Within the few first minutes of Episode 1 of this year's Apprentice Tom was marked out as being a "nice guy" in stark contrast to some of the other 15 candidates, who were busy making pointedly dark statements such as "I take cutthroat and ruthless to a new level", "I am cold and hard" and "my social life, my personal life mean nothing to me".

Secondly, a recovering economic climate needs new ideas and no business can survive without having at its heart good ideas that are well thought through. This has absolutely been Tom's USP throughout this series. He attributes his ability to view things from different angles to his dyslexia - the optimistic side of me is hoping that this will help to encourage employers to reconsider their assumptions about candidates with dyslexia. 

So how did Tom pip the remaining three finalists to the post? The summary comments from our blog for episode 13 were borne out in this final interview stage. Jim's superficial charm and gift of the gab burned under the spotlight of the interviewers who likened talking to him to nailing custard to the ceiling and described his business plan as a feeble attempt to curry favour with Lord Sugar. 

Susan's good contributions continued with the interviewers latching onto the fact that she demonstrated business flair and an enterprising approach. However, as we have seen previously, she let herself down in the way she presented these ideas, most notably through her naïve business plan and her overly effervescent elevator pitch. 

Helen's previously untested business vision unfortunately shrivelled under the scrutiny of the interviewers, with Margaret describing her as having no entrepreneurial flair and Sugar's disappointment in her business plan was clear to see.

 I do however enjoy Helen's tenacity which was again apparent in the second business plan she raised in the boardroom; she's willing to step in when she can see things going off course and a few more people like that in business can be no bad thing. 

So how will Lord Sugar and Tom get on together in business? Although a deserving winner, there are a few risks with Tom that will need to be managed. He openly admitted getting bored with his nail file business and his referee questioned his ability to finish things. In Belbin's team roles terminology, Tom would be the Plant - the ideas person, and this is why he worked together so well with Helen - the Implementer.  The inaccuracies in his business plan figures suggest that his attention to detail is not great either. The final risk area comes from the dynamic between Lord Sugar and Tom. Lord Sugar can be demanding, exacting and forceful. Tom will need to avoid reverting to the nodding dog that we saw in early episodes if he is to be a genuine business partner. Good luck to them both - if they can manage these risks, Tom's ideas and Sugar's business nous could well be a winning combination.

Nic Hammarling is the Head of Diversity at Pearn Kandola. For more information, visit
www.pearnkandola.com