The Apprentice: Possibly the worst example of leadership in action

The eagerly anticipated new series of The Apprentice has finally started following a two-year hiatus due to Coronavirus. While I will probably tune in out of idle curiosity, I already know it’s bound to have me shouting at the telly like a grumpy old man in no time. Why? Because it is the very worst example of leadership in action. The participants behave in a way that is the absolute opposite of effective leadership.

While I obviously understand that the show is cleverly edited to offer up the worst of people’s hissy fits, failings and conflicts as entertainment fodder, there is a real danger that the next generation of executives will start to become conditioned into believing this is the way to behave in business if you want to get to the top. The Apprentice wannabes posture and preen with a self-assured confidence that far outweighs any determinable capability. I worry this is leading the next generation to think that bullishness and deluded self-belief is all that’s required to get to the top.

When does confidence tip into arrogance?! Photo Phil Botha Unsplash

An interesting article in The Oxford Review recently highlighted a New Leader’s Paradigm, which I feel offers a much better illustration of the way effective leadership develops in today’s workplace. This model has come about since the 2008 banking crisis, and focuses on ‘use of self’ as the key to career progression.

This model rips up the old rule book of qualifications and climbing the greasy pole, and instead demonstrates that applying self-awareness, resilience, empathy and ego are all more important attributes than qualifications on paper or a ‘command and control’ attitude to leadership.

The New Leadership Paradigm model demonstrates that leadership is not formally learned through an MBA or other management qualification, but instead takes a conscious effort every day to be the best version of yourself that inspires others. This is the ‘use of self’ that is central to successful leadership.

Professor David Jamieson, director of St Thomas University in Minnesota describes the use of self as; “the conscious use of one’s role for effectiveness in whatever the current situation is.”

The two key attributes of an effective leader according to this model are;

Resilience (of course!)

The ability to spring forward and progress, having learned from previous experiences, is vital for leaders. They need to be adaptable, able to ‘ride the rapids’ when things get tough, navigating their way through adversity calmly and decisively, and learning from the experience. Truly resilient people grow from life’s adversities and take important lessons from them, rather than allowing them to drain them of their energy or feed their negativity. You can find out more about the elements that build resilience by referring to my Resilience Wheel.

Ego strength

Far from the over-inflated and entitled egos we see on The Apprentice, ego strength in this context refers to the ability to recognise that we as leaders don’t always have all the answers, and that’s OK. Instead, effective leaders know that they need to ask questions, be humble, have the humility to ask for other’s views, draw on their experiences, break down hierarchies and build an effective team around them, so their team has the right mix of skills to collaborate effectively.

Leaders need to use their ego to show humility. Photo Oswald Elsaboath Unsplash

The model also points to six areas where the above attributes are developed, including:

1)    Communicator: effective conversations that allow new ideas to emerge and which enables everyone to express what matters

2)    Decision maker: not in an ‘option A or option B’ sense, but the ability to consider all the variables available and strike the right balance.

3)    Builder: building an organisation that breaks down hierarchy, communicating in a way which says ‘I’m one of you’

4)    Designer: the new model of effective leadership means designing an office space which is aligned to the organisational culture and encourages collaborative working

5)    Giver and taker: far from hiding away in a separate office, remote from the team, true leaders are approachable, open and as much part of the team as the next person, breaking down barriers and hierarchies that hinder effective working.

6)    Virtuous character: Power play has no place in the new model of leadership. Patient and humble are the traits leaders need to be successful now.

If you are following the new series of The Apprentice, it will be interesting to bear in mind the New Leader’s Paradigm, and consider whether any of this year’s contestants demonstrate true leadership attributes, or are they just the latest bunch of wannabes?