Martha Stewart : The Apprentice

Long vacation's almost over! Wow, back to work tomorrow! Yes, I love to work because I feel bored at home...

I had a long vacation for the Holy Week and yes, I was a bit bored. All I did was watching TV series on DVD... done with Heroes Season 2, Prison Break Season 3, Desperate Housewives Season 3 and I was running out of DVD except when I looked at my compilation and I saw The Apprentice by Martha Stewart which, I bought last year and didn't tried to watch it. I put on the Martha Stewart DVD on my player and started viewing it. I enjoyed the series and yes Martha Stewart's firm in looking for her Body and Soul Magazine executive... The interview process is really different. And it takes weeks before Martha chose who's the best... It's a one against 15 endeavor of the applicants. It started with 16 teamed up into 2 of 8s. Until 2 applicants were left Martha is to decide who among them fit the job!

Martha's interview process have illustrated very well how team work is important in a group. In the first team up, the team MATCH STICK is totally a mess compared to team PRIMARIUS. There is no unity in the team or let me say there's no team work. They never came up with a good idea because they always fight and they keep on blaming someone who did the big part of the project. They end up hating and backstabbing each members. In the other hand, Team PRIMARIUS discussed things and ideas thoroughly so, they end up with a good ideas. There was an instance when there's a conflict between the 2 members of the PRIMARIUS. The task was to design and bake a wedding cake. The conflict was between the Project Manager and his member. What struck me most in that situation is that they confronted each other after that shouting and saying the Fs and the Bs. And so, everything went well after that.

In my team, I think we lack unity and teamwork. Yes, we are doing everything for the good of the team and of the company as well but our Manager is not authoritative enough to delegate a task. We just sometimes have problems with members of the team (who has light tasks) who delegate their own task to others even if they know how loaded everybody is. And they are not even willing to learn and move one step higher. Some are not open to new challenges and when given a new task which is not familiar, easily freaks out and shout at someone as an outlet.

Yes, I was a victim of one of my Team Leader. Everybody knows how loaded I am and she asked me how to generate a specific report and I told her my other Team Leader knows how to do that. Then she just settled down on her seat and just kept quiet. Hey look, if you're the one in need, I guess it's appropriate that you approach that person because that person's doing something. I remembered what she told me that the port does not approach the ship. It happens the other way around. Yes, she should be the one to approach me. Then comes another day. She was asked by another TL about it and she can't answer... there she freaks out and shouted at me. I just kept my mouth shut and later I found out what gave her the hot temper - it's the new task given to her which I believe she now delegated to a team member close to her. Not mentioning she's not that busy as her members. I could till remember she told what she told me before," OBEY FIRST BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN." Look who's talking! All she loves doing is to talk about who and what the who's doing. I believe I'm one of those whos she talks about but I don't care really. She's just insecure because she talks about me before about promotion thing. I don't really care because I don't need a title to be a leader. What matters to me is I'm doing what I can for my team and my company.

I hope and pray that our Manager is firm enough to delegate a task to who and that who will try his best first before telling the Manager he can't make it and needs help.