The Apprentice: Episode 7 | Sir Alan had his fillip

So, last night saw the demise of the cheeky chappy from Durham.  Following the early rounds Philip had been installed as one of the favourites but his ongoing spat with Lorraine and his romance with Kate pulled the rug from under his challenge for the Apprentice.  Last night was very much a sales orientated task and with the characters involved in the contest one could reasonably expect some sterling performances.  Alas Lorraine's losing team failed to sell any products on the second day at all and their appearance in the boardroom was inevitable.

The You're Fired after show program revealed Philip to be a likeable individual and he revealed that it was the unusual pressures placed upon the contestants that contributed to his downfall, and it's this issue of managing stress that we'll focus on this week. 

How to manage stress

Stress is one of the most harmful factors to business performance and it can come in many forms, but few are as intense as The Apprentice.  Nevertheless there are perhaps things Philip could have done to reduce his stress levels and therefore prevent the unfortunate tantrums he delivered at Lorraine on a regular basis towards the end of his Apprentice journey.

1. Recognise the symptoms - feeling worried, irritated, demotivated, unable to cope and make decisions, being less creative.  All symptoms that could be attributed to Philip last night.
2. Identify the sources - The brunt of his anger was aimed at Lorraine but if Philip had identified the exact source of his stress, ie the show, then he may have reacted much differently.  Common workplace sources of stress include time pressures, demanding deadlines, relationships with others, too much or too little work, business or work changes, threat of redundancy, pressure from above and insensitive management.
3. Identify strategies to help you cope - We each have different strategies for coping with stress.  Identify what works for you and use them when you feel things bubbling under.
4. Make the changes - Talking about things is often a great way of easing stress.  In the Apprentice environment this is very hard as it can easily be seen as a sign of weakness.  Withdrawing from damaging relationships also helps, but again it was unfortunate that he was continually paired with Lorraine.

Well, that's our view on the show last night and how Philip could have survived.  It'd be great to hear from you.  What did you think of last nights show?