Trump is no paragon of real-world management

I watched with disgust Sept. 16 (and, I admit, again the following Saturday) as Donald Trump wielded his power mercilessly in “the boardroom” on “The Apprentice.”

As a management consultant specializing in organization development and leadership coaching, I watch the show with interest. Last season, I found that Trump generally made sound decisions. He backed them up with seasoned, “street smart” rationales that provided a glimpse into his management philosophy. And, despite his transparent and self-serving boasting, he managed to behave himself with at least basic civility and courtesy most of the time.

This time, however, his behavior toward the young people vying for a job was abominable. Apparently, he was indignant that a young man had the audacity to turn down an “exemption” to the boardroom Trump had so generously granted. And, to make that point, he dramatically fired him -- despite his own assessment that the guy was probably the most capable of the bunch. Off with his head! He simply had to teach this young man a lesson. How dare someone defy the Donald!

Even more disturbing than the content of his decision was the manner in which he treated these young people. He talked in a scornful way of this man’s stupidity and angrily rebuked a young woman for daring to interrupt him to make a point. His words contained anger and sarcasm, and his tone of voice was contemptuous.

Students of management know that effective leaders are not afraid to use their power. They do whatever it takes (including firing people) to shape an organizational culture and create desired results. But there is a distinction between those who use “socialized power” (using their influence to achieve appropriate organizational ends) versus those who use “personalized power” (impulsively throwing their weight around for the purpose of empire-building and self-aggrandizement).

Trump’s bullying clearly falls in the latter category. And, in any organization, that sort of management style leads to a climate of fear, where politics and self-preservation become more important than serving customers or fulfilling the organization’s mission.

In last week’s “Apprentice,” Trump was back at his best. In the boardroom, he sensed a potentially serious problem: One of the candidates was being labeled as unstable by the other two. So, instead of just grilling the three potential firees and choosing among them, he abruptly changed the rules. He called in the entire team and polled them.

Because all had serious doubts about the person in question, he felt it was best to fire her. Although this woman’s behavior now seemed fine, her teammates unanimously would not forgive, nor forget, her extreme behavior of the past.

Well, Donald, the same holds true for you! When you use your power abusively, people do not forget this.

Some leaders make the mistake of thinking that once they correct poor behavior, all will be forgiven. Wrong. It just doesn’t work that way. Good behavior does not cancel out bad. When leaders abuse their power -- or, more accurately, when they are perceived as abusing their power -- it is extremely difficult to recover and resurrect their reputation. Regaining people’s trust is not an easy proposition.

While Trump’s behavior may appeal to viewers’ fascination and they can vicariously feel what it’s like to have people cower before them, this is not true leadership. It also subtly perpetuates the stereotype that all leaders are power hungry and that to be an effective employee, you must master the art of kissing up, while lording over those below with impunity.

Shame on you, Donald. Maybe you should be fired.