If you have watched the reality TV show by Donald Trump, The Apprentice, you will agree with me that Trump is one of the best businessmen in the world today. From the way he arrives at decisions as to who goes up the suite and who takes the elevator, to his vast business interests, Trump comes across as the archetypical shrewd businessman of our time.

From his decisiveness and brutal execution of decisions, to his obstinate obsession with profit, Trump is a paragon of today’s astute businessman. To him, the best entrepreneur is one who gets the highest buck out of a deal. Period! If there’s a name to describe a shrewd businessman, that name can be encapsulated in the person of Donald Trump.

In his flagship TV program, The Apprentice, Trump cuts the figure of one whose overriding preoccupation is making profit. Granted, this is what every business aspires to do – to make profit. However, it’s my personal opinion that he sometimes overreaches himself when making some of his famed decisions. As far as he is concerned, the team that brings in ‘the most money’ at the end of the day is the team that wins. If your team is unfortunate to tag along the rear end, then, as good old Donald would say, ‘someone will get fired’. If this person ends up being you, the words ‘you are fired’ – as only Trump can say them – will ring very true indeed.

Although I agree with most of Donald Trump’s ‘I’m-sorry-you-are-fired’ decisions, there are instances when I felt his obsession with profits may have obscured his judgment as to who gets fired and who stays. This is where I beg to part ways with him.

Relationships and not just profits are a vital ingredient in every venture. Every manager or leader of a group should endeavor to build positive relationships among his or her team if they are to get optimal performance from them. People need to feel that you care about them enough to give them another chance when things occasionally go awry.

The fact that a certain employee bungles things one day does not mean he or she is ineffective as an employee. One could just be having a bad day. We all have had days when our motivation to perform was seriously hampered by events or things that happened to us, e.g. a parent who left a sick child at home may seem absent-minded and not as ‘sharp’ as everyone else. A spouse who left home for work after having an ugly quarrel with a partner may easily get irritated at the office and therefore not be in sync with the rest of the team.