Coach Deb’s post-boardroom Analysis and Coaching Tips from this week’s episode, Week 7 of “The Apprentice“

Lenny (Goldrush) was as different a project manager from Michael (Synergy) as night and day.

Results from this week:

Synergy - hit the mark - because they understood the concept of incorporating teamwork and the flexibility and variety of the games available.

Synergy’s project manager, Michael mentioned “Teamwork” several times in his presentation. His team ticked me off this week, because they didn’t seem to want to give him any credit. Yet, it was his leadership and ability to listen to his client’s needs and then carry it out that differentiated his team’s success over the others.

Sometimes “Leadership is lonely” and that’s what Michael experienced this week.

Getting a new face from Ace - Michael even melded the ACE brand right in to the banners that hung in the room, seamlessly, as the executives from Ace Hardware Paula & Rick expressed as their goal during the initial interview.

ACE helps their community by helping the boys and girls clubs of America, project: “New Faces for Helpful Places”.

Goldrush - on the other hand, had a leader who simply “didn’t listen.” To anybody. To his teammates, to the executives, even to his partner Lee at the end when he tried to help Lenny stand up for himself in the boardroom. (What a great list he prepared too!)

As entertaining as Lenny has been up until this episode, I found him to be giving way too many excuses this week - which really didn’t seem like him. Frankly, I think he was just plain tired. The Game caught up to him this week. Arrogance will also kill you when it comes to managing and leading a group. He dismissed Charmaine, yet he wasn’t even there to see how much work she was doing while he was lost in New York.

Success Secret of the Week:

Often, success is all about “sticking-to-it” and perseverance.

What do you think about this week’s decision? Was it a no-brainer for you?
Were you shocked?

Or did you predict it from the get go?

Share your comments below…

Coach Deb

Here’s what’s Been Keeping Coach Deborah & Coach John-Paul Busy In Hawaii During March

Enjoy the pictures & keep the island of Kauai and Oahu in your prayers - the rain and flooding continues to wreak havoc on homes, families and roadways.

Mahalo nui loa!
Coaches Deborah & John-Paul Micek

As the rocks came tumbling down the mountain, through the streambed in the backyard, water came rushing down, heading straight for our offices.

During the lull before the rockslide, we walked up the hill with our rottweiler to check out how the water was flowing through the natural streambed. John-Paul pointed out that his concern was where the water kept hitting the top sides of the embankment, “If the water breaks through this, we’re going to be in a heap of trouble.”

At that moment, we started hearing rocks tumbling through the stream, getting louder and louder. Bells started going off in our heads, warning us that if we didn’t get out of there, we might become a statistic on the evening news.

We got out of the way just as a boulder burst through, and water came gushing down heading straight for our office doors below. We followed our rotti’s lead, as the four-legged, sure-footed canine found a safe path to get to the bottom.

Grabbing the industrial-sized broom, I began to sweep the foot of water that came down as a result of the rockslide, while John-Paul went to the top to plug the source of the problem.

What seemed like an exercise in futility, sweeping and sweeping in order to prevent water from seeping through the house, I kept thinking that until he fixed the source of the problem where the water was coming from, I’d be sweeping into perpetuity.

Catching my breath, trying to stay on top of the water flow that wanted to form a stream through our office to make it to our neighbor’s, I realized that I needed help if I was ever to catch up. Minutes after calling the fire department, praying that help would soon be on its way, our neighbors showed up offering to help any way they could!

MaryJo helped me sweep, while her husband, Scott, went up the mountain to help JP plug the source of the problem. Finally, it looked like MaryJo and I were able to keep up with the water flow, so I went to see what the men were doing – and sure enough – they had repaired the source of the problem. Whew! We were safe!

Pictures of the Hawaii storm in our town - flooding damage - majestic mountain waterfalls

I kept thinking of one small-business owner in our coaching club who came to last month’s mastermind call. He talked about how he couldn’t hire a virtual assistant because he had so much on his plate and didn’t have time to train another person.

But, just like the raging torrent of water that came down the mountain, his workload will continue to build, never allowing him to catch up or catch his breath – until he addresses the source of the problem – and finds some outside help to handle the workload.

Once he creates the proper systems to handle the workflow, he’ll not only make life better for himself, he’ll make life better for all the people his business helps or employs.

Everything we do affects those around us. As long we did our job to hold back the waters, the rest of the neighborhood was protected. The same is true for all the small businesses in our community. When we all work together toward a common goal, everyone benefits.

Just a quick note about the Blog For Relief effort last weekend. Deborah and I were so impressed with the quick action of our business coaching clients and readers of the Business Owner’s Blog that we had our editor publish a press release on the results.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

Hawaii residents and owners of RPM Success Group Inc., Deborah and John-Paul Micek were planning on making some donations on their own, but when they saw what Hewitt, Reynolds and Bear were doing, they put their money where their mouths are.

Mr. Micek says, “As strong proponents of marketing with business blogs, Deborah and I decided to test the word-of-mouth power of business blogs. Our intention was to act as a catalyst to inspire some action from our business-coaching clients and business owners who read our blogs. We issued a $1,000 matching challenge on http://www.biz-ownersblog.com in the afternoon of August 31st. We had hoped to get at least $1,000 in donations that we could match. But, what happened in less than 24 hours blew us away! Including our matching funds, we received proof of more than $12,500 in donations by September 1st at 11:59 p.m. To me, that’s proof that marketing with business blogs works.”

At the same time that the Miceks were putting their Marketing With Business Blogs multi-media course to good use (http://www.marketingwithbusinessblogs.com,) the total tracked over at truthlaidbear.com was approaching $350,000. The momentum was building and Blog for Relief Day turned into Blog for Relief Weekend yielding nearly $1.3 million for the victims of Hurricane Katrina by September 5.

You can read the full press release on the business coaching effort here on PR Web.

Thanks once again for your donations of close to $15,000 in 3 days!

Enjoy!

John-Paul Micek is known as the “Click-and-Mortar Business Coach” by business owners around the world thanks to members of the Business Owners Coaching Club™. He’s a published author and weekly columnist for the business section of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, and a managing partner with the international small business coaching company RPM Success Group Inc.®

The © Copyright to all audio, video, images, and text are held by RPM Success Group Inc.® and licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Press Release For immediate release: May 4, 2005

HAWAII CELEBRATES ITS AMAZING WOMEN

Honolulu … On Saturday, May 7, 2005, the 4th Annual Amazing Women’s Conference will take place at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider’s Grand Salon and Terrace.

More than 100 of Hawaii’s amazing women have pre-registered to attend this inspiring event and ALL 100 women who attend will receive FREE massage gift certificates to enjoy at their own leisure!

One lucky woman will win a $2,000 scholarship to the University of Phoenix.

The purpose of the conference is to provide a day of celebration to honor all women; simultaneously raising awareness for women’s issues not only in Hawaii, but around the world; raising the status of women everywhere, while inspiring each woman to take action to improve her own life as well as the lives of those around her.

When learning of the scholarship donation, Business Coach Deborah Micek, producer of the Amazing Women’s Conference, commented

“I was thrilled! This is what the event is all about – to provide more opportunities for women to become successful. I am so pleased that Tau Vee-Remmers and Nada Kegley with the University of Phoenix will be on hand for the grand prize drawing. There are many other wonderful prizes that have been donated to help improve the lives of Hawaii’s amazing women too.

Gillian Armour Image Consulting has donated a complete style-makeover. One woman will receive teeth whitening from world reknowned dentist, Dr. Wynn Okuda and Dr. Bob Peterson will present a thermage makeover.

The outpouring of thousands of dollars worth of prizes and gifts has been amazing in itself. There are so many that I can’t begin to mention them all.”

Registration and networking begins at 9 a.m. The Amazing Women’s Conference celebration program runs from 9:45 a.m. through 3 p.m. and features vendor booths; gifts; prizes; sit-down luncheon; and amazing speakers including Marisa Burgess, the Dream Makeover Hawaii winner, who will share her amazing experience and transformation to a self-confident professional.

The Hawaii Dream Team of doctors and coaches will also be on hand to give tips and answer questions. Other Amazing Women presenters scheduled are Dr. Suzanne Gelb, Licensed Psychologist, Attorney At Law, and published author; Gracanne Keohohou Lee, motivational speaker, Hawaii-born woman, mother, wife, author and business owner; and Li‘i Naeole, Amazing Woman of the Year.

All proceeds from the event will be presented to Sisters Offering Support, Hawaii’s only nonprofit that provides services to youth and adults affected by the abuse of the commercial sex trade.

Cosponsors of the Amazing Women’s Conference are The Queen’s Women’s Health Center and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Hawaii in conjunction with RPM Success Group Inc. For more information, go to: http://www.amazingwomensconference.com/

Deborah got rolling early this morning — very early! Half-past dark as she puts it. But it’s for a very good reason …

She and the doctors from the Dream Makeover Hawaii TV show are being interviewed in preparation for the premiere of the show this week. Coach Deb was chosen from dozens of top coaches to play a key role in guiding the Dream Makeover winner through the nearly five months of surgeries and a total life makeover. And what a terrific job she’s done if I must say so myself!

Today’s interview is on LITE 94.7 FM, and OC16 is there filming a simulcast too! Pretty exciting stuff!

The first public airing of the Dream Makeover Hawaii TV show is 4/3/05 on OC16, Sunday, 9:30pm. Here’s the complete schedule of shows, including two on NBC:

4/3/05 on OC16, Sunday, 9:30pm
4/5/05 on NBC, Tuesday, 8:00pm
4/7/05 on K5, Thursday, 7:00pm
4/9/05 on OC 16, Saturday, 3:30pm
4/10/05 on NBC, Sunday, 3:00pm

Tune in and follow the progress of the perfect Hawaiian Dream makeover for one very special kama`aina woman whose life has been transformed inside and out by the Hawaii Makeover Dream Team.