jay1051971's Full Review: Carolyn Kepcher et al - Carolyn 101: Business less...
A few years ago, when Donald Trump’s reality TV show, The Apprentice, made a big splash in the television ratings and business school classrooms across the nation, one of the cast members quickly achieved fame for her outspoken and direct style. In Carolyn 101, Carolyn Kepcher, one of Trump’s “eyes and ears” during the tasks assigned to the show’s participants, tells her story of how she came to rise to a prominent position in the Trump organization, dispensing practical wisdom to aspiring business women everywhere.
Chapters: Foreword by Donald Trump
1. A Foot in the Door
2. The Bad Boss
3. The Good Manager
4. The Good Employee
5. The Managerial Mother
6. The Woman in the Workplace
7. The Good Team
8. The Good Company
Acknowledgements
Breakdown:
A few months ago, I was browsing the clearance racks at my local Border’s and I came across this book. As a few years ago, I completed a Master’s in Business Administration degree. When the Apprentice made waves, I became a fan of the show, as it was very insightful to see many of the lessons taught in my business school classes being played out right there on the small screen. The show, for me, became something I looked forward to watching, as it helped me reflect on my own professional career, and what sort of things I was doing, or would need to do, to achieve success. So when I saw this book on sale, I quickly snapped it up, enthused about furthering my business education be reading some of the thoughts from a successful businessperson.
For the most part, the book is written by a successful businesswoman, and intended for other women in business. However, with the exception of two chapters that deal specifically with the challenges women in business face, men can easily utilize many of the lessons and advice dispensed in the book. She starts off talking about her own history with the Trump organization, the people and situations which lead to her rise into the levels of upper management, and the lessons that can be taken therefrom. After this biographical narrative, she then approaches various topics of importance in a business setting.
For Kepcher, there is a strong emphasis on teamwork. Whether one is a manager or employee, it’s dedication to teamwork that will ultimately lead to success. Kepcher’s mantra is that if one person fails, the whole team fails. She points to examples on The Apprentice, where a team was obviously be lead in a poor manner, by a myopic leader. Yet, instead of giving up doing what they were told, and allowing the leader to take the fall when it came to account for team failure, the candidates on the show circled the wagons and tried to go above and beyond the call of duty to make up for the glaring weakness on their team in order to fight for success in the task at hand. No person will ever succeed in business if they don’t recognize that they are part of a team, and that if those around them are failing, they will, too.
She also breaks down the various roles, and provides her views on what makes a good manager and a good employee. She also discusses, backing up with examples, “bad” boss behavior. While the team work aspect continues to be accented, she also points out what individual responsibilities go with each person’s role in an organization, and by focusing on doing one’s job will help one advance in their career. Kepcher stresses that any ambitious needs to strive to recognized as an “expert” in their sphere of responsibility. Know your job as best you can. After that, seek out understanding of the jobs of those around you. By doing this, one can establish themselves as having the proper understanding of a companies business in a larger and larger sense.
The most obvious two chapters in the book are the ones that deal specifically with the challenges of being a woman in the business world. Kepcher herself is married and has two children. As all women face at some point in their lives, the question of how a woman juggles two competing demands in ones life is addressed. Many times, women are told that they must chose one or the other. Kepcher believes, and obviously proves by her example, a woman can have both a rewarding family life, and a satisfying business career, and she provides some tips and reassurances to other women who may find themselves in a similar situation.
The last two chapters focus on some advice on how to know whether or not you work on a good team and/or for a good company. Does the company have a good name? Does the company have a good idea of who its customers are and what they want? And most importantly, does the company invest in its people, and help them grow? Answering these, and other questions, are what can help a person to determine whether they are in the right spot, according to Kepcher.
Overall
While this wasn’t a bad book to read, it wasn’t particularly revolutionary either. Like all “self-help business books” of this sort, there are some nuggets of insight that a reader can take away with them and apply in their own professional lives. As I stated previously, while the book has a decided slant toward professional women, there are useful things a man can glean from reading Kepcher’s book, including the two chapters specifically on women’s issues. It was well written and was a relatively quick and easy read. At times, it got a little biographical, and the reading paced slowed a bit, but for the most part, the book can be read on ones lunch break and finished in about a week’s time. I would recommend this book as way to kill some time in an airport or during some other situation when you need pass the time. Three stars.
In her first book, one of Donald Trump s trusted advisors, and his co-star on the hit NBC reality television show The Apprentice pens this mentoring b...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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