Too many Donald's, not enough Bradley's

Just caught the rerun of the latest Apprentice episode on CNBC. Bradley was fired... and I'm disgusted.

Donald said that giving up his exemption from being fired was "life-threatening" and that if he were running a business and did something like that the business would be in trouble. Wow, nothing could be further from the truth.

The trouble here is that too many people want to "succeed" or "win" but have forgotten what it means to "sacrifice" or "take one for the team".

Leadership is all about sacrifice. People fall in behind someone who is that authentic.

I really liked what Fouroboros wrote in Brain, Metaphor, Archetype, Brand. Part II:

The challenge business-people often need to overcome is the modern confusion between managing and leading. Leaders guide and point out, they don't demand and prod. Interestingly, Western culture once had a very strict interpretation of leadership and its code of conduct. The terms honor, noblesse oblige and mercy were deeply ingrained in this.

"The captain went down with the ship." "He fell on his sword" "The buck stops here."

There is a universal symmetry to those thoughts. They are Limbic in their common sense. The R-Complex likes their clarity.

Have you ever worked for a great leader? Do you have a great leadership story? I'd love to hear it!!

Comments

[Jeremy C. Wright]

I didn't consider Bradford a great leader OR manager. He was a great motivator. He was a great instigator. But I didn't see him effectively lead (by your definition) or manage (by delegation or empowerment) at all.

[Jon Strande]

Jeremy,

What he did in the boardroom was an act of leadership, I haven't seen the other episodes and missed the first part of the episode last night, so I'm not sure what kind of person he is. But giving up his exemption from being fired was a selfless act that going forward would have been very powerful.

Lao Tsu said:

"True Leaders
are hardly known to their followers
Next after them are the leaders
the people know and admire
after them, those they fear
after them, those they despise.

To give no trust
is to get no trust"

This is doing without doing: uncompetitive, unworried, trustful accomplishment, power that is not force.

Most people in this ultra-competitive, self-serving world would look at what Bradley did and call it "stupid" and Trump reafirmed their "win at all costs" conclusion. But that attitude is exactly why we have employees who don't care about business, there is too little real leadership today.

I'm sure you've seen it; something goes wrong, a meeting is called, and people start covering their ass and assigning blame. How stupid. Let's worry about that later, first lets fix the problem and then circle back around and ensure that the problem never happens again, not assign blame (unless there is negligance)

Did Bradley "lead" during the tasks? I'm not sure. Was his action in the boardroom one of leadership? You bet!!

Have you ever worked for a great leader? Someone who would roll up their sleeves and get down in the dirt with you?

[aleah]

I had an incredible boss when I was working in fund development for nonprofits. She was one of those people who, no matter what the circumstances, and however dire they seemed, always maintained a steady, positive outlook. She had a knack for intuitively assessing the hidden talents of each staff person, and bringing them out of their proverbial shell. Her team building skills were outstanding - always pitching in to do lower level tasks when needed.

As I am now in a leadership role, I look to her as an example of authenticity and integrity.

[Jon Strande]

Aleah,

There is nothing like working with someone like that... I say "with" as opposed to "for" because they make you feel like you're working WITH them. I too have had the same pleasure, it is a great thing.

Jon

[Ted Bozarth]

He justly got the axe. He was cocky and arrogant. He took an entirely unnecessary risk. I think it was a good call.

[Jon Strande]

Ted.... hmmm... really? Isn't life about taking risks? Had he made it through that situation, his team members would have treated him with reverence for that action. Did you see the expression on the two ladies faces after the "trumpster" fired that guy? They were in shock. They couldn't believe what happened. The loyalty that he would have won with his teammates going forward would have been priceless. I'd hire that guy in a heartbeat.

[Ted Bozarth]

I added an Apprentace forum at the Blue Lizard - why not! Can't be too serious all the time. Come on over to http://www.BlueLizard.cc and access the forums (link at top left) to talk more about the latest tragedies. My response to Jon's latest comment can be found there.

[Sam]

Jon I'm with you on this one. I believed Bradford got the axe a bit too early. However this week I was very glad that Pamela got fired as her abrasive tendency was actually quite similar to Omarosa in the first season, except that Pam knew how to play that with subtlety.

[Jon Strande]

Sam,

Thank you for the comment - yeah, we're on the same page, he got fired too early... I stopped watching the show after that happened.

Jon