The Apprentice: Los Angeles Weekly Performance Review, The Finale

This might be my briefest article of the season, with little new “business behavior” to comment on.

The Task:
This week’s task was to civilly chat while sitting around a big table while millions watched, waiting for the announcement of a decision that had already been made.

The Yahoo clips are pretty skimpy this week too, with two exceptions. Similar to the two “my real life” clips we saw from Stefani and James, there were similar efforts made for Frank and Nicole. All four are posted. Frank’s is about working out of his cellar and being close to his family; Nicole’s… twenty seconds of her work, and the rest is about Tim.

I’m not intending to comment extensively about the season recap or every softball question that hit on points already discussed in this series. Applicants are listed in the order they were dismissed, with ratings based on their season-long performance.

Frank:
Frank didn’t acquit himself very well in the Boardroom. His reluctant pause before saying he was a better choice than Nicole can only be described as fatal, proving his oral skills are the weakest of the four. But, we knew that already.

Unfortunately, one thing Frank will be remembered for is his childish and disrespectful reaction to Surya and his stringent methodology. Was Surya wrong to try and fit his approach into this scenario? Surely, but Frank’s reactions were worse. It’s bad enough to draw yourself a mocking picture, but distributing it for all to see is inexcusable.

That made it all the more inexplicable when he chose Surya for their team. It is logical to expect that Surya wouldn’t sabotage their efforts. How many of the pool would, knowing they have the rest of their real lives ahead of them and hopes of securing hot jobs in the future?

Frank’s effort and enthusiasm in every task were unparalleled, but he didn’t show well in most leadership categories. Primarily fired for a perceived lack of sophistication, I’ll give Frank a SATISFACTORY rating.

Nicole:
I’m happy for Nicole if her showmance works out for her. However, Trump is correct when he says it can’t enter the workplace. This one definitely did; who can imagine the early Nicole placidly letting Frank take over so much of the final task?

Tim correctly gave props to Nicole for being the only one of the four to step up early and become the PM. But besides the showmance, I’ll always remember Nicole fumbling her Las Vegas PowerPoint presentation both technically and orally, and for coming up with the horrible hospital theme for the final task.

Nicole “improves” to an UNSATISFACTORY rating. She showed us early on she has some skills, but she lost her focus and her drive and squandered this opportunity.

James:
James made good use of one opportunity to speak. Frequently lauded for his creative abilities alone, he reminded Trump that leaders make use of the skills of their staff. He also answered Don Junior’s question about rising above the details well.

When James was fired, Trump said, “There were certain things in certain dialogues that you gave during the course, and you know what I’m talking about, that bothered me very much.” Huh? I’ve been watching all season, what’s that about? Until that’s resolved, James rating is clearly EXCELLENT.

Stefani:
Stefani actually improved her image in the finale. She showed the confidence Trump needed to see by telling him she was the one to hire, and that she’d then hire James as an assistant. She also got the point across that she had never been brought back into a final Boardroom, and no one had ever bad-mouthed her. Further, she took the opportunity to describe herself as, “Fearless.”

Those were all good points in her favor, but Kristine may have had the best line when she said, “Stefani kept the frat boys in line.”

I noted that Stefani didn’t win a hot car like her predecessors.

There was one disturbing image of Stefani tonight, in her “real life” video, where she was driving and using her cell-phone! Bad girl! But despite that sin, an EXCELLENT rating is the only possible result for Stefani’s fine season.

In Conclusion:
Did Trump hire the right person? Probably, yes. I fear the answers to, “What did James say that was so wrong?” and, “How did Trump suddenly believe in Stefani’s leadership skills?” are lying on the cutting room floor. So, all we can do is judge by what we saw on our TVs and in the Yahoo clips. Based on that, Frank and Nicole were never in the running, James was a very good choice, and Stefani was the best of them all.

That’s all for season six, so please feel free to let me know what your thoughts are at the eAddress below. I’ve enjoyed corresponding with readers, many of whom write on a regular basis. See you all next time!

Brian lives in Toronto, where he can be reached at uncle_bto@rogers.com. He spent a couple of decades working in middle management at The Prudential, primarily hiding behind the coffee machine to avoid his pointy-haired bosses. He’d like to hear your opinions and promises to respond to all serious email!

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