What the Winner of NBC’s The Apprentice 4 TV Show Can Teach You About Success

I watch very little television.  In fact, I did not watch one episode of NBC’s The Apprentice 4 show.

On Thursday, December 10, 2009 I participated in a private business training session (less than 10 people) at the Aloft Hotel with Randal Pinkett, Winner, The Apprentice 4.

Here is my thinking, whether you know about The Apprentice TV show or Donald Trump, you would likely agree that anyone who competes against 16 total candidates in a series of rigorous business tasks and is selected by Donald Trump select them as the best candidate to run one of his companies,  has to know something about business.

Randal shared his most valuable lesson running a Donald Trump company.

Randal was asked the question: “you were an apprentice to Donald Trump, what is the one lesson you learned that will help business owners?”  Randall said the most valuable lesson he learned from Donald Trump was to value his time.  Donald Trump is a master of time management.  He values how he spends every hour, every minute, every second of his time.  He places tremendous importance on the highest leverage of time.

My thoughts are as sales professionals the most important use of our time is in the presence of prospects or existing customers who could purchase future products or services.  I recommitted myself to focusing on TIPA (Top Income Producing Activities) and leveraging my time to remain focused on my mission, goals and objectives.

Randal also shared how his multimillion-dollar consulting firm will succeed in 2010.

Randal was asked the question: “what message are you delivering to your team about succeeding in 2010?”  Randal said my message is very clear: we survive in these times, we can thrive anytime.  He went on to say that there are lessons from doing business in this economy,  that truthfully we should do anyway,  and here are a few:

1.    Do more with less
2.    Cut costs
3.    Lean and mean
4.    Be aware of best practices that are applicable in any economy
5.    Fiscal responsibility
6.    Focus on what is most profitable

About Randal Pinkett, he is the chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion-dollar consulting firm specializing in organizational development, information technology, and strategic planning, that he started while an undergraduate at Rutgers University.  After graduating from Rutgers as a championship athlete with a 3.9 grade point average, he went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and earn four more degrees, including an MBA and PhD from MIT.  Thanks to his academic savvy and his profitable campus-based business, Randal managed to graduate from college completely debt-free.

About The Apprentice Show: the ultimate job interview, where sixteen Americans  compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include prominent Fortune 500 companies and require street smarts and intelligence to conquer, in order to show Donald Trump, the boss, that they are the best candidate for his companies.

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