The Apprentice: Why Bill Won

Bill has some interesting characteristics. He definitely has business ethics – as shown by the way he did not support the “Kwame Jackson” autograph session at Planet Hollywood – but he also is willing to drive a hard bargain – as shown when he didn’t want to refund all of an advertiser’s money after a sign fell off during the rickshaw challenge.

Where Bill really showed his stuff was the final challenge. He was in charge and was making sure nothing went wrong – or when it did, he was on top of it. When people started coming to him about what he considered to be side issues (such as the model homes), that’s exactly where he put them – on the side. He knew what needed to be done and he was going to do it.

Let’s look at the situations when both finalists lost something. Kwame lost Jessica Simpson; Bill lost an advertising sign. Kwame called helplessly on his walkie talkie; Bill personally tracked down everybody who might have seen it and sent them out looking – and when that didn’t work, he went to the trash dumpster himself and found it. I just can’t see Kwame doing that. He would have probably called somebody on his walkie talkie and considered the matter taken care of.

Did Bill sometimes look like a chicken with its head cut off? Yes. But while some of that was in front of the golfers, it was not in front of Donald Trump. Kwame, on the other hand, had his biggest failure while Trump was standing around waiting. What Bill showed Trump was energy and leading by example. Kwame didn’t.

The final project was make or break for both Bill and Kwame. Bill acted like he knew it. Kwame didn’t. Obviously, he did, but that’s just not the way he acted. I mean, I sure as hell wouldn’t trust my future to Omarosa in any way, shape, or form. Yes, he got stuck with her, but Bill had been stuck with difficult people previously and managed to work around them. Allowing your employees to do their jobs is great, but sometimes a manager needs to grab hold of the reins and make sure everything – and everybody – is under control. Bill did a better job of that than Kwame did.

Bill and Kwame have very different management styles. Both of them might work better or worse depending on the circumstances. In real life, if Kwame could choose his own people and fire those who don’t work out, his more laid back style might work great. But nobody is perfect all of the time – even his star player, Troy, had some miscommunications along the way. And that’s when a manager needs to get involved. Kwame really didn’t.

Bill may have overdone it a bit, but he was fighting for his future, so that’s understandable. Also, Bill’s management style is likely one that Trump understands better – I can’t see The Donald just sitting back and saying, “My employees know what to do, so I’ll just let ‘em,” especially when things are falling apart.

Bill did a better overall job of managing a difficult situation. And his event went off virtually without a hitch as far as those involved with it were concerned (other than the weather, which he certainly can’t control – plus, he was on top of that issue every step of the way). His management techniques were more along the lines of what Trump could embrace. He showed that he has good ideas and the ability to execute them. That is why Bill won.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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