Series 11 of the popular BBC show, the Apprentice, is back and in full flow. As normal, the candidates are confident and outgoing, determined to win one of the most sort after prizes for any young entrepreneur. There has been many interesting and successful candidates in past series and this current series doesn’t disappoint.
Although the candidates often get quite negative comments regarding their business acumen, past winners have gone on to big success. The truth is, success in business involves a big amount of confidence and risk taking, personality traits that many of us associate with the weaker candidates.
Many successful entrepreneurs fail lots of times before they finally find success with a business venture. This approach is why many candidates take what seem like crazy risks during the process. It’s this type of personality that people like Alan Sugar will be interested in. Someone who can take control and get stuck in.
Many candidates who fail may in fact have better CVs and education. They may do very well during examines but struggle to apply this knowledge in the real world. The ability to react to a situation is therefore paramount to success in business. Knowing when to take risks and when to play it safe relates to your ability to judge a situation. Regardless of whether this is a mundane task or a big business decision, the skills are the same.
In episode 1 of this series, Dan was the first candidate to go. He appeared to be very clever and have some great ideas – the perfect apprentice right? Well, he struggled adapting to the situations and failed to demonstrate his ability to take control of a task. This isn’t the personality that is likely to develop a company into a million dollar brand, which is what Alan Sugar ideally wants.
Perhaps our idea of the perfect employee and the perfect entrepreneur should be defined better. Being good at business is too vague. You can be very successful within a company being very safe and analytical in your nature. These personality traits may not be ideal for an entrepreneur who is required to take a business to the next level. To do this, elements of risk taking and confidence are certainly required.
How to be successful in business is certainly an interesting topic and something The Apprentice demonstrates.
