Client: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
The task: To conduct a PR branding event for Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. by inviting the media for a food tasting/review session. Teams will be rated by the client as well as the media on several different areas and the team with the highest score will win the challenge.
Team Asset
Team leader: Kian You
Danger and discord are on the cards for Team Asset due to the clear rift between the two in-teams made up of Kian You and Yuen Wai, and Chris and Joo Lee. Not only that, the team also faces problems with the client who is clearly unhappy with Kian You's forceful way of pushing ideas down the client's throat.
Small issues seem to spring up into big issues - from the way the media invitation looks to the decision of putting up a table for registration - and chaos is just apparent when the media shows up and is faced with a team that is inattentive to their needs. But that's not all! A member of the media who turned up late found himself embarrassed before his peers when Kian You announced that there was a late comer in the house! Those in the media line knows this very well - the media is king and you do not offend them. What shall be the fate of Team Asset?
Team Equity
Team leader: C.A.
Discord is also on the cards for Team Equity as the team members find themselves in a tough situation facing a team leader who is adamant of following everything according to the book. C.A.'s 'situational leadership' strategy, while asking that team members be more proactive by volunteering to take up tasks that they are expert in, does not find popularity as team members also feel that as team leader, C.A. should have more backbone when it comes to delegating tasks.
The food presentation goes off on a dry start on task day - as commented by both the client and Joel, who was standing in as corporate leader for this task - but thanks to two birthdays, the situation was saved by the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. staff who managed to add a bit of liveliness to the day.
Verdict: For the cardinal sin of offending one too many people, which include both the media and the client, Team Asset found themselves heading back to the boardroom. In the boardroom, it is clear that the two in-teams were targeting a member from the opposing team - Chris and Kian You were both on the chopping block but in a surprising twist, Joo Lee is terminated from The Firm after Ernie berated her for not being able to take responsibilities for her mistakes.
Next episode spoiler hint: How do you hype up a tsunami-ravaged city into the ultimate tourist destination?
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5 comments:
For some1 who complained that I was being too detailed, you either have short term memory of what transpired in Task 5 or you chose to conveniently leave out the facts. Just how did I followed everything by the book? Whose book? 'Adamant'? Could it be you were the one who was adamant in being difficult?
If I didn't had backbone in delegating tasks, Dian would have been assigned to registration table for the entire event - or did you conveniently forget that little fact? All because Dian didn't turn up for briefing thus you felt it was justifiable to punish her to that menial task, or maybe it was some other reason.
In actual honesty, only Jennifer and myself really spent the most hours for this task, where were the rest of the team??! Right, working. As if I don't have to. Who are you accusing to have played it safe? Plus the fact that I had to run through every single detail because you wanted some1 to cross check your work. And you guys blamed that I should have done my script. Amazing.
It is easy to blame, justify and give excuses - bear in mind that when you point your index finger at some1 else, you are pointing at yourself too.
Waahh...very hostile. I told myself before the blog came up that i wouldn't write anything..but after reading some of the comments here, i feel the need to justify some things as well.
My comments were sincerely because i did feel at many times that as a leader, CA let the team members made some of the decision themselves, at least, that's how i felt. I voluntereed to do the kitchen work, i don't think i ever worked in a way that anyone had to tell me what to do - i believe i was quite proactive at times.
Finally, i was quite taken aback by your comment (CA) that only you and Jennifer worked their butt out, you know well i contacted the chocolate people, coming out with the design and making the orders, AT my very own working table, while i was supposed to be working. Finally, i re-designed the menu and printed the Press Kit stuff and copying the CD with Jennifer at my home.
Whatever it is, i really tot it was quite clear that i was not too happy with how things were delegated by the leader, hence my comments on camera. Finally, i must say that I don't regret anything i said because they were true in my opinion and I am entitled to my opinions, BUT i am sorry that CA had to feel so betrayed by those comments. Whatever it is, I didn't expect that this episode would actually cause such drift between ex-Equity members. Amazing how human beings are - so this is definitely a new learning experience for me.
Wow - you are absolutely correct Dian. The chocolates were the winning factor for this task.
The designs were outsourced and it was paid for accordingly thus it was not done by yourself. Due to your work load (yep, the rest of us don't work), Boon Yew volunteered to pick up the chocolates.
I mentioned '....spent the most hours for this task'. If you feel that I have wronged you, perhaps you would like to share how it is that you missed on two team briefings? It was because you missed two team briefings that Masami mentioned that you should be relegated to a lesser role but I felt that it would have been a total waste of human talent. Never mind facts, stick to your own perceptions as the saying goes 'Ignorance is bliss'. Did I dispute the fact that you were not proactive?
What I was amazed with the entire team was that they were expecting clear instructions, as if they were followers when I have made it very clear that I have no knowledge or experience when it comes to F&B AND PR events. Despite the lack of knowledge and experience, I made it very clear that my style was 'situational' and that Team Equity WILL WIN this task because I had confidence in myself when it comes to details.
I have always been saying "Safety shot" from Episode 2 onwards to motivate the team but guess what? Not a single team member said that to me for this task. I have never backstabbed a team member on camera thus the reason why none of my interviews was aired. The only person that I have blamed if the team had the remotest chance of losing was myself, never another team member.
I can accept many things, one of the few things I cannot accept is when someone justifies what their deeds or words with 'this is just a show'. If that is the case, why don't you try robbing a bank because after all 'this is just a show'. You are who you are regardless of where you were, what time it was, who you were with. The fact was you said something without thinking of the repercussions and that was highly unexpected from a person who has been in the work force for such a long time. Oh, keep up the practice of surfing the Internet whenever someone is talking about a topic that doesn't tickle your fancy. I guess I am just old fashioned but that is what I call disrespect. If you do not respect the individual, at least show respect for the chair.
What was that you said again? 'Amazing how human beings are....'. I am amazed.
You are being too defensive CA. I only write the synopsis based on my perception on what I see on TV.
Besides, I think you remember well that I told you a few times that your leadership style will not work if team members choose not to be proactive. You then answered that in your team, that's how it works although I argued that that may only work if you are of an organisation which hires such people.
If I didn't say that I wanted to do the press release... would you have left me on my own until I actually came up with an initiative to take up some work?
This task was distressing to me, especially since the corporate leaders (and stand-ins) as well as production thought that we'd got it in the bag because we have a journalist on the team - as if I've the capacity to lead the team to victory based on only one food tasting experience I had.
By the way, you are stubborn CA. You have your set of rules, of ethics and theories and such, and everyone knows as well as I do that it is hard to change your mind when you are fixated on something. While I am not saying that I am not, but I ask you that maybe you try seeing it from the other team members' point of views on how they saw you as a team leader.
You are entitled to your own opinions as I am to mine.
Maybe it is just me, but I would rather write based on facts rather than perception. If I do not have my facts with me, I would rather not write at all. I was under the impression that is how the media works; I can only pray that my perception isn't wrong all these while.
The Firm is about performers; what kind of performers would sit back and wait for instructions when the team leader has made it crystal clear that he has no such knowledge and / or experience? Would you have wanted a case of "the blind leading the blind"? Your points are of no logic at all.
At no time during my time in The Firm was I of authocratic behaviour because I believe very much in democratic principles. If you didn't say that you would do the press release, I would have volunteered my services to the team. If they are disagreeable with my suggestion, then the team should come up with an alternative solution.
This task was distressing to me as well, imagine being thrown to the deep end of the pool with 4 sharks, who claim to be team members, waiting to criticize every single mistake that I would make because they knew I had no knowledge or experience. Instead of helping one another to achieve a team victory, it was every person for himself / herself.
I never realized that rules, ethics and theories were illegal. Maybe you could be a MP and propose that we remove all rules and ethics? Difficult to change my mind only because reason given were illogical. Convince me with valid reasons and I am an easy person to work with. Voicing your emotional perceptions are not valid reasons.
In an English court of law, a judge sentenced a man "Free him, not hang him". The court official wrote "Free him not, hang him". Thus the man was hung. Amazing how a tiny comma can take a man's life away.
What I couldn't accept was the fact that the people who had me hung claimed to be my team members.
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