Is Watching “The Apprentice” Doing Your Business More Harm Than Good?

Let me first start off by saying that I love this TV Program and watch it every week when it’s on. I can assure you that I don’t have a personal vendetta against any of the guys that are in the show! Since I am based in the UK, I have never watched the US version, but I can imagine there are few differences in terms of what I will speak about in this post. I understand that the people in this process are under a tremendous amount of pressure and this can cause them to act in non-characteristic ways.

First off, let me start with the positives by discussing what I like about The Apprentice:

• It’s a great way to analyse human behaviour and business psychology
• I like seeing inspiring entrepreneurs such as Lord Alan Sugar and Donald Trump, and looking at how they work and respond to various people and situations
• Most tasks show that you can successfully start a profitable business in very little time, regardless of the economy
• It’s highly entertaining to watch
• We can learn many valuable lessons from their experiences

Now this is why I feel that it is not good to watch:

• Encourages big mouths and big ego’s
• Encourages disloyalty to people in the same team
• Emphasises ruthlessness in business
• There is lots of backstabbing
• The business scenarios are completely unrealistic
• I’m never sure how much a person’s “entertainment factor” plays a part in whether or not they are picked
• I hear far too many disgusting corporate clichés like “I am the best here and will stand on anyone that gets in my way.”

Why I wrote this post

I was watching one of the episodes of The Apprentice 2011, which is currently being aired in the UK, and I started thinking, ‘these guys really aren’t a good representation of what business is all about. In fact, in ways they represent everything that is wrong with businesses across the world.’

I just think that some people can get the wrong messages from watching this TV show, particularly young people who are starting out in the corporate world or will go into business in the near future. Business is not just about you, as nothing is just about you. I find that people who put themselves at the centre of everything may earn great money, but will never be “successful”. Success to me is about far more than earning money, success is about the type of person you are and whether or not you have changed because of your financial position. It’s about the focus and prioritisation of the right things in life.

I don’t think that some of the people on The Apprentice set the right example. The creator of the show Mark Burnett may have had the right intentions when he created it, but I think that some of the conscious and subconscious messages that are sent out are not right.

Isn’t business about loyalty and working together in the best interests of the business and everyone involved? Isn’t business about transparency and accountability? Isn’t it about unification rather than division, and treating people the same behind their backs as you do to their face?