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Business Rule #15:
Be a Conforming Non-Conformist
January 28, 2005
by Marlene Caroselli
Yes, I know. The title sounds oxymoronic, but before you start your own chorus of "UnbeLIEVable!" let me explain. I’ll use Danny Kastner as a case in point. I'm sure you remember him from the first week. He was the group cheerleader: the guitar-strumming, nose-thumbing, nearly forty-something innovator. Now here's a character that verges on the unbelievable. Did he really think that in the straight-laced world of perfectly coiffed Carolyn, George, and Donald, his hippie image would work? Did he truly believe he'd fit in as the next Apprentice in the business-suited world of this traditional trio?
Apparently not. Because in Week Two, you saw him transform into a new man. Gone were the guitar, the crazy outfits, the loud carnival-barker behavior. (But, mind you, not the eccentric soul.) Instead, we saw this self-proclaimed corporate cheerleader proving he's a quick learner. He must have taken all of the first-week comments about his non-corporate image to heart. Or maybe he was just trying to fashion himself in The Donald's image. Or perhaps it was all just an overblown gimmick to get on the show. Whatever. The Danny showed up for the second task so well-dressed that he drew earnest praise on his new threads from The Pompadour himself.
The cannon is no longer loose.
I'm reminded of the Tom Peters legend. They say he was fired from McKinsey and Company for coming to work one day dressed in less than formal business attire—considerably less. Peters though is no wimp. He adapted and went on to launch an impressive career of authoring business books and keynoting seminars to the tune of $75,000 and up for just one hour of his time. It's Tom Peters who insists that "every organization needs at least one weirdo on staff."
Magna Corporation has their weirdo in Danny. But he's not so out there that he can't conform. You've seen the bumper stickers. You know, the ones that proclaim, “Adapt or die.” I've seen them. Danny has seen them too, no doubt. The motto though is so much more than a bumper sticker. It's a verifiable way of business life.
I predict that as the weeks roll by, we'll see Danny killing off his "alter" and leaving only his "ego" to rule. Self-interest will dictate future behavior. We saw it last season with Raj Bhakta. Raj came in brandishing his red pants, tapping his two-tone shoes, twirling his cane, and, of course, donning that signature bowtie. Within two weeks, he conformed. The cane became history along with the shoes and pants. While still keeping true to his core with his now emblematic bowtie and that particular way with words of his, he found a way to fit in, winning his teammates to his side...to the amazement of Trump, I might add, for whom the first impression took much longer to wear off. All in the hopes of becoming the next Apprentice. And Raj made it far, ballyhooed by his unique way of doing things. In the end, he was done in by his poor decisions in renovating a house, not because he was too off-kilter. Danny’s fate too, I suspect, will lie in what he brings to the table and not in counterculture mores.
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Only time will tell, of course. But what's clear at the moment is that he's taking the heart of a non-conformist and dressing it up in conformist clothing.
A good idea? Darwin thinks so. So does Jack Welch, often called "The Manager of the Century." Welch likes to give this advice to organizations on the right time to adapt: "When the rate of change outside the organization is greater than the rate of change inside the organization, then we're looking at the beginning of the end."
Danny clearly doesn't want the end to begin. Others have accused him of being traitorous—with good reason, perhaps, if he's willing to betray his own first-established (and probably true) identity. But a man looking to build a better mousetrap for the recently wed billionaire is a man looking to build good relationships—relationships founded on common, rather than uncommon connections.
In short, more than any other candidate we've seen so far this season, Danny has learned to adapt, adopt, and adjust. I admire his flexibility. He goes out on a limb when the branches are strong enough to hold him. But he recedes and clings to a core trunk of organizational thought when it’s serves him well to do so. My advice to you? Get a feel for what's acceptable. Imitate when necessary. Be unique when you can. But be adaptable enough to conform in order to avoid a boardroom bombshell.
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Every organization needs at least one weirdo on staff.
