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Business Rule #30:
Let Your Work Speak for Itself
May 20, 2005
by Caroline Pfouts
The live season finale of The Apprentice was an all-out promotional extravaganza. The episode’s review of the past season was sure to mention each week’s sponsor while presenting a blow-by-blow recap of the performance history of the two final candidates, Kendra Todd and Tana Goertz. The introduction of past winners Bill Rancic and Kelly Perdew not only gave an update on their careers but made careful mention of many of Trump’s properties: Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, Trump Place in Manhattan, the new Trump Tower in Tampa, and 40 Wall Street. There was even a plug for Trump Ice bottled water. It’s clear that Donald Trump is a serious believer in the power of self-promotion.
So it should come as no surprise that the biggest complaint that Donald Trump, Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross voiced about Kendra was that she didn’t step up as a leader until late in the game. They
would have preferred it if Kendra had promoted herself earlier on.
She started out with seventeen other candidates, all of whom were scrambling to make their mark. Kendra’s strategy was similar to that of a long-distance runner. She let the sprinters knock each other out in the early going. Then at the end, she came up from behind to win it all.
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I could also tell that part of her strategy was to contribute quietly to her team’s efforts. Like it or not, as a young, pretty woman, she is more likely to be interrupted in a business meeting than her older, male co-workers. Regardless of how important, valuable, or relevant your idea is, sometimes it’s tough to be heard, even in this day and age, if you’re a woman.
Of course, Kendra is a fine intellect and an effective, creative business person. But in spite of that, Craig Williams couldn’t hear anything she said. Remember when he was the Project Manager on the Staples task? He derisively dismissed her as “young lady,” told her he’d given her “more respect than she deserved,” and generally spoke down to her as though she were a misbehaving child. There have been lots of studies about how men are perceived and heard differently than women. Considering the challenges posed by her gender in a male-dominated world, Kendra did extremely well.
Kendra’s restraint in talking up her contributions and accomplishments suggests that she is so self-confident that she doesn’t need the ego gratification of applause. Merely delivering an outstanding performance seemed to be enough for her. And it didn’t go unnoticed. After she wowed everyone at the Best Buy Video Game World Championship, one of the sponsors offered her a job on the spot. With that kind of admiration, she didn’t have to sing her own praises.
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It’s clear that Donald Trump is a serious believer in the power of self-promotion.
