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The QVC task is one that they’ve done before on The Apprentice, so this episode didn’t really offer up anything new. And since there were no real fireworks to speak of, this was a pretty bland episode.

I’d love if The Apprentice would get back to tasks that require some unique business savvy, but there I go again longing for the days of Season One.

Let’s get right to the lessons…

Business Lesson One: Take the high road.

Taking the high road isn’t easy. Going low can feel good for a minute or two, but it never adds anything to your stature among your coworkers or bosses. It’s great to get a good zing in from time to time, but it takes a person of true character to walk away from the perfect opportunity to cut someone low.

In the opening few minutes, we caught a glimpse of both Omarosa and Piers talking to the camera. Omarosa continued to show us what kind of person she really is - digging in on Piers in an effort to make herself look better (at least to herself). On the other hand, you could see that Piers didn’t want to play that game anymore. Yes, he got into the gutter in the last episode, but I think this episode showed his truer colors. While he made a factual statement that he has no desire to ever speak to Omarosa again, he passed when Trump gave him the opportunity to get a dig in on Omarosa. “That was yesterday.” My respect level for Piers went up dramatically.

Business Lesson Two: Just because something works, don’t be afraid to try something new.

We’ve heard it said, “don’t fix what isn’t broken.” While there is truth in that, in business, to become and maintain a leadership position, you should always be looking to fix and improve upon previous successes. You can’t always rely on what worked before. Each new task brings opportunities for new strategies and new tactics. If you want to win, you have to look for those new opportunities rather than relying on the old.

Piers, again, wanted to rely on the star power of Lennox Lewis. That trick has been done before, and it’s wearing a bit thin. Even though they lost, I think the team made the right decision to keep Lennox behind the scenes.

Business Lesson Three: Learn the system!

Anytime you’re doing something new, you need to learn as much about it as possible. Just like if you have a critical appointment, it helps to map out your directions and timing beforehand to make sure you arrive on time. In business, understanding the system you’ll be working with is critical to success. The quick review usually isn’t enough.

Marilu’s team lost because they didn’t know about Easy Pay. Why? Both her and Carol had been on QVC before. Marilu can be forgiven a bit because she sold her books, which wouldn’t have used that feature. But Carol, having several years of experience, most certainly should have known. That bit of knowledge could have won them the task.

But that doesn’t relinquish responsibility from the other team members either. This is something they should have thought about enough to ask or research. I’m sure there are a million things to know to make a successful QVC commercial. But it only takes one thing to make it unsuccessful. Any new system you’re jumping into needs to be thoroughly researched and understood in order to leverage each and every available opportunity. Failure to do so is just another failure.

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