I have frequented many a laundry over the years! When my wife and I were first married, we could not afford a washing machine. So once a week, sometimes two, we would stuff all our washing into a black sack and trounce off to the laundry.
Am I weird if I said we looked forward to it?
We did enjoy it. We took the papers, maybe a book or sometimes walked to the local pub around the corner for a drink. The time was not wasted.
Other times we would just “people watch” – others in the laundry or individuals just walking past. We played a game, looked at the individuals walking past and made-up our story of where we thought they were going.
So picture a couple in the laundry watching people going by, giggling and saying ‘I bet he is going to visit his mistress’. This was why we looked forward to it.
Provide A Service…Is Simple Isn’t It
So, let’s discuss week two of the UK Apprentice. This week the two teams ran a laundry for the day. Simply just find the customers and provide a service.
I wrote four words down on my note pad in this order once I knew what the task was:
1. Service
2. Teamwork
3. Marketing
4. Planning
Looks like my mind was thinking ‘right to left’. I was thinking about the outcome – the service and then how to get there. It will need great Teamwork, persuasive Marketing and concise Planning.
They were my initial thoughts.
The Team Leaders
Raef was happy to be Team Leaders this week. Funny, I am sure he said last week “I can’t manage, I can only manage myself”. What’s changed? He looked nervous. But good for him for volunteering.
Jenny. Oh, Jenny. I didn’t really notice her last week. This week wow. She soon became the hateful figure, didn’t she? I don’t think comments like “Don’t speak to me I am the PM” and “If you have any ideas, speak to her, I’m the PM”, helped.
Didn’t she love the power? But a complete turn-off for the team.
The Planning…Pricing Plus A Special Bonus
Sir Alan (SAS) organised for one of the teams to win a contract to wash the hotels laundry for one night.
The Girls Approach.
No research. No strategy. £4.99 per item, 1000 items, £5000. Oh and a special bonus…a 24 hour hotline to a personal assistant! What was all that about? SAS summed it up when he said ‘Who is going to ring up and ask “Hello, girls how’s my pants doing?”’
The Boys Approach.
Contacted other laundry providers, got some prices and used those as a basis for their own pricing. They proposed a price that was twice as much as the Hotel normally paid. Eventually they agreed on £200. That to me seemed dirt cheap (no pun intended). £200 for a thousand items of washing!
No surprises, the boys won the contract.
The Best Bits
There were three situations, which were the highlights for me:
Staff Feedback
The way Jenny ‘attacked’ Lucida for not pulling her weight.
So why was it wrong:
1. It was in front of others
2. It was personally aimed
3. It was derogatory
4. There was nothing constructive
5. It was an outrageous way to speak to a staff member
The situation reminded me of a time when I was having breakfast in a famous fast-food restaurant and the manager was providing feedback, you can read my experience here.
Teamwork
The fact that the boys wanted to win ensured they worked hard and as a team. The bonding and camaraderie, as a result was fantastic. They left their egos at the laundry front door and that’s why they won the task.
The Fatal Mistake
Why allow the one person who has established and organised the process for understanding whose washing was whose to go back to house to secure the irons was the fatal mistake.
I do blame Shazia for volunteering. I blame Jenny more for allowing her to go back with no one left who understood the process.
The Outcomes
That fatal mistake and the way she didn’t defend herself in the Board Room cost Shazia. She was fired. In fact, the firing of Shazia is a fatal mistake. I do think SAS got that one wrong. Jenny should have gone. She was dictatorial, egotistic, couldn’t control her team and there was no organization of the whole task. Can you tell who I hate this week?
Now let me turn to Raef. Last week an idiot. This week, brilliant. Kept his cool, joined in with the hard work and established great teamwork. Well done to Raef.
The Prize
I have always wanted to have tea at The Ritz. It is on my ‘dream list’. A great prize for the winning team, the boys. I must book a visit for my wife and I.
Anyone had tea at The Ritz? What was it like?
A Last Thought
Where was Jennifer, the best salesperson in Europe?
Hope we see her next week.
The Apprentice - What A Difference A Week Makes… - To learn more about this author, visit Andrew Rondeau's Website.
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