|
Secrets to Success
Deborah Cole Micek
and John-Paul Micek
|
Women often their own worst enemies
NBC's "The Apprentice" is one of my favorite reality shows on TV. It's the ultimate survivor show, because it relates to the real world of a dog-eat-dog business mentality that is paramount in the mind of every New York City executive or sales professional.
With a population of more than 8.1 million, in just 321 square miles (not including the broader, New York metropolitan area of all five boroughs with more than 22-million people), it's pretty obvious why, if you want to be seen, heard or recognized, you need to be first to market or be the most aggressive.
Once people see business opportunities as "limited" and "scarce," they'll resort to strategies they might not normally use if there was no competition.
We saw this in action on last week's show. Donald Trump fired two women after they lost the task. These women became the best of friends, yet were tearing each other apart in the boardroom in order to become the next apprentice.
The previous week, we saw these two women take down their leader, whom they had praised earlier for her democratic leadership style. Their jealousy of the shining star of the show, Tammie, was evident in their body language. Rolling eyes, scrunched up faces of disapproval, and arms folded in opposition -- their body language revealed what they were thinking.
Why is it that people think body language affords a certain "deniability" compared to words?
After a long winning streak for the women's team, in just two short weeks all the women candidates were gone! FIRED by "The Donald!"
Will women ever get a chance to fill top executive positions if they're constantly undermining each other's successes or gossiping behind each other's back the first time they see a woman as a threat?
In my opinion, businesswomen engage in way too much "male-bashing" when they should really be focusing cooperatively on what they're doing to each other to limit their opportunities.
With reality TV, we get the chance to get a sneak peak at what's been going on "behind the scenes" in the workplace when it comes to women in business.
Women band together, work great as a team, support each other, collaborate naturally, have a lot of advantages over a male-dominated team, until ... push comes to shove!
Once competition is a factor, women can be just as aggressive and competitive as men -- if not more so, especially if jealousy is a factor. Then, they can be downright ruthless and vindictive.
What do you think? Participate in this discussion about how women are keeping each other down by visiting www.TheInfluenceCode.com and post your comments.
John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at
JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at
DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.