The Apprentice 2012

The Apprentice 2012An index to blogs about the 2012 series of
the BBC’s “The Apprentice”.

The BBC’s The Apprentice website is here.

My Apprentice Pinterest Board is here.

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The Apprentice 2012, The Final: Smart to Wise

So, the Final is over; the winner declared.  In the end, it was the business plans that were paramount, but the journey, over the  last twelve episodes, was also important.

I want to use this final Apprentice 2012 blog to consider the reasons why Lord Sugar was right.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 11: It’s always Strategy

In tonight’s Apprentice semi-final, Lord Sugar finally bowed to the inevitable.  And if it was inevitable, what can we possibly learn from it?

The Apprentice 2012: The Final Five Candidates

Well, we’re down to the final five candidates.  At the end of my last blog, on Episode 10, I asked of each of them, “who are you?”  Last night, we were able to see a short documentary about each one, so are a little closer to knowing the answers.  I try to assess each of the candidates in the run up to tonight’s semi-final.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 10: Who are you?

When will any of this year’s candidates show us something special?  For sure (to borrow a phrase from Stephen Brady), we have seen some good performances and some consistency.  We have also seen some of the usual appalling performances – but, I will grant you, fewer than usual.  But I have not detected any outstanding individuals among this year’s bunch.

What am I missing?

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 9: Missing the Point

Last night’s episode of the Apprentice focused our attention on one key point; and I hope you didn’t miss it.  Sadly, the two teams did, in their different ways, miss the point.  And the candidate who did so most spectacularly, paid the price.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 8: Risky Decisions

Tonight’s episode gave us a litany of business lessons, a further reminder of the importance of demeanour but, ultimately for me, one really important principle to focus on: decision making.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 7: Task versus Relationship

Episode seven was instructive about one of the biggest principles in business – and one of my hobby-horses.  It also provided a deja-vu moment as we flashed back to the theme of my commentary on Episode 1, at the start of this series.

The Apprentice 2012: Humour

This week, I was working in France and unsure when I would get to see and comment on Episode 7.  So, to tide you over, I offered some humour…

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 6: What do you have to say for yourself?

That’s two weeks in a row I think Lord Sugar fired a strong candidate.  Today’s show taught us the importance of what you have to say for yourself.  But before I get into my analysis of what I took away from the show, let’s look at how the task played out.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 5: Losing the Vision

Well, I said creativity would be central to this year’s Apprentice (in my 3 April blog post) and what could be more creative than this week’s task?

Creativity in The Apprentice: Evaluating Creative Ideas

Over the last two weeks, I have been considering the role and nature of creativity in The Apprentice.  Now for a humorous look at eight rules for choosing the best idea.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 4: The Dangers of Perspective

I don’t think that why one team won and the other lost was what today’s episode really taught us.  Instead, I think the message is darker; perhaps the darkest yet, since I have been commenting on The Apprentice.

Creativity in The Apprentice: Getting Creative Ideas

Last week, I made the assertion that creativity is going to be an essential skill for this year’s candidates.  This week I want to give some hints and tips about how to get creative ideas, and next week, I’ll examine how to evaluate those ideas.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 3: Attention to Detail

Once again, the cause of the losing team’s failure is absolutely clear.
… and once again, the same problem plagued both teams
… and also, once again, Lord Sugar’s opening remarks presaged the key problem:
it’s almost as if he knows what he’s talking about. Fancy that!

Creativity in The Apprentice

A lot of Apprentice tasks require a considerable degree of creativity. It has always been thus for as long as I have been watching, and the past two weeks of series eight have both put it at the heart of the tasks.

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 2: First Commitment

For what it’s worth, I was distinctly underwhelmed by what I saw tonight.  I’m finding it hard to see any glimmers of who might emerge from the ruins of 12 weeks of tasks as a worthy winner.  For my money, only one person tonight even started to impress me…

The Apprentice 2012, Episode 1: Demeanour = Demise

Last night’s first episode of the new series of The Apprentice gave us one simple, powerful business lesson.  But, unusually, we had to wait to the very end to learn it.

The Apprentice 2012: Candidates Named

The broadcast date and names of the candidates have been announced for series 8 of BBC’s The Apprentice.