Millions of people love tuning in to the hit reality show The Apprentice – the US version features Donald Trump putting a group of aspiring job candidates through tough business challenges and eliminating the weakest team member at the end of the episode. As a viewer, you probably think you know exactly what you’d do in the same situation. But what does it really take to be the best project manager in the game?

Listen to everyone

Bad project managers believe that there is only one vision – their own. A good one, on the other hand, takes everybody’s views, ideas and experiences into account. That doesn’t mean that they take all ideas on board – they simply give every team member the opportunity to be heard. This creates a much more cooperative atmosphere and more buy-in from the group.

Have a plan

Some project managers make the mistake of diving straight into the task without making any decisions about what they want to do or how they will achieve it. Planning is essential, especially in short-term tasks like the ones in the show. Time spent planning is never time wasted, though it may feel like that at first. If everyone knows what direction to move in, the project will run much more smoothly and be more successful.

Make and stick to decisions

It’s no good changing your mind on the afternoon of day two, when your product pitch is due the next morning. It’s vital to make decisions together with your team, so that there is a definite game plan. Once you do, keep to them strictly to eliminate any chance of confusion. Too often, half of the team splits away and doesn’t hear about the complete change of plan that the other half decides on, leading to anger, confusion and wasted resources.

Delegate effectively

No one person can do everything, though enthusiastic project managers certainly try! In the mistaken belief that it will impress the boss (Trump, in this case), the project manager takes on all of the critical tasks and sidelines the other team members. However, the opposite approach is actually the better one – delegate tasks to people who are good at them, and manage the big picture. The members will appreciate it, and the jobs will get done more efficiently.

Manage your risks

Some ambitions project managers try to pull of tasks that are well beyond the scope of the available resources, dooming themselves to failure. Others don’t take the time to think about even the most obvious things that could go wrong, meaning that they stumble at the first problem. Always take potential risks into account, and have a plan to deal with the foreseeable ones. And, of course, don’t risk everything on an unrealistic goal.

Take responsibility

Project managers who try to shift the blame or weasel out of taking responsibility for their team’s performance inevitably fail. Being in charge means being accountable. If you’re the one who decided on a task, delegated responsibility and made crucial choices throughout, you take the risks – and reap the rewards.

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