Commentary

• Know the Organization, but Don't Try to Change It. 

  • Bill, Kwame, and Troy did their homework and opened negotiations with interested customers at a figure that matched what the space had fetched in the past.  But they'd underestimated the appeal of "Trump luxury".  On the other team, Nick threw out the rule book and named an outrageously high figure.  He knew that he was offering a totally unique product that could not easily be compared to any other; the customer's desire would determine its value.  Nick got his price, and a trip to Mar-a-Lago with Amy, while Bill, Kwame, and Troy packed their bags for the boardroom.

• Prepare Your Answers but Don't Use Them Inappropriately.

  • Asked what he would do on his first day on the job, Nick replied that he'd "present a vision for the organization."  Trump's CFO was incredulous.  "And you'll be able to do that on day one without even knowing the first thing about this company?" he queried.  Nick looked grim; he knew he'd overreached.  Get your foot in the door before trying to change the locks.
    On the other hand, Amy's well-practiced assessment of her value to the Trump organization might have been music to the interviewer's ears--if he had asked about it.  But his request had nothing to do with Amy's value, and her attempt to divert the discussion made her look like a slick politician rather than a qualified candidate.  "Amy reminded me of a Stepford wife," Trump's acquisitions chief told the boss.  "Her answers were basically meaningless." Amy had memorized her lines but delivered them at the wrong time.

• Include the Unexpected but Don't Forget to Expect it. 

  • "Within ten minutes I was dead bored talking to her," said one interviewer after Amy's empty answers turned him off, and although Bill wasn't easy to rattle, Trump's CEO Tom Downing did his best.  "Obviously you've been getting by on your instincts, as you're sure not getting by on your education." he told the Loyola graduate.   Rather than let this broadside get him down, Bill calmly stood his ground and declared himself proud of his schooling.  His confidence in fending off this ambush let the interviewer know he'd found a solid candidate.

• Be Likable, but Don't be Slick. 

  • Kwame answered tough questions about his energy level with an easy smile and disarming rapport.  Even executives who felt ambivalent about his qualifications thought his manner made him worth another look.  "He's got likability about him, and in my business it's important if you can get an extra two or three minutes out of somebody when you're sitting face-to-face with them because you're likable." said Trump's CFO.
    Nick gave his interviewers a dose of the assertive confidence that made him a great copier salesman and a Trump favorite.  But his response when asked what he was going to bring to the table other than his charisma didn't do him any good.  "He's too slick for his own good." Trump was told. "I honestly didn't walk away from the meeting feeling like I knew him."  Shiny surfaces don't impress executives who look beneath them.

• Don't Hide Every Flaw, Let Them See the Real You. 

  • TIt's the oldest interview question in the book:  what are your weaknesses?  When Trump's interviewer put this standard to Bill in his interview, the future apprentice dodged with the tried-and-true:  "I'm never satisfied."  But this brought a response "That's not a weakness," and Bill had to scramble for another answer.  By trying to hide every imperfection, Bill revealed things he never meant to.  Which was the purpose of the question's real purpose all along.

Lessons Learned