It has now returned to TV and as any fan of The Apprentice will know, it’s often the case that when the role of rental home management companies Leader is up for grabs, many of the wannabe protégés either suddenly become very quiet, or they very keenly put themselves forward… perhaps in part due to naivety!
Now, I know the show is pretty far detached from what actually goes on in real-life, and their version of the ‘Project Manager’ role might well be as well, however this situation does highlight how leading a team involves a certain amount of responsibility and interpersonal skills, as well as ‘putting your neck on the line’!
While mishaps along the way might not mean the equivalent of a ‘fast track to a boardroom showdown’, project management can be quite stressful because when projects are delayed, or overbudget – or even fail – then it’s usually the Project Manager who is held to account… “You’re fired” springs to mind… rightly or wrongly!
Below are just a few situations and the differences in how ‘The Apprentice Wannabes’ typically deal with them and how the PRINCE2 Method and/or the APM Body of Knowledge (APM BoK) would handle it…
The team are at logger heads and two or more in the group can’t agree on what would make their solution acceptable.
Naive Project Leader arrogantly goes for what they think is the best solution, because they are the Task Manager after all and are obviously in charge! Never mind what the outcome is, or what it looks like, just get ‘something’ created!
