she got lucky
Claire, a good leader or not?
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Claire is not a good leader, not in any way, shape or form. Her team won last night through luck, nothing more.
She was awful. And Alex was chomping at the bit to launch into her if they lost the task. And rightfully so.
She's not changed. She was bricking it as she knew if they lost she, as PM, would be in the firing line. That little speech at the beginning asking them to tell her if she was coming across too strongly was desperation of the highest order.
She's not changed. She was bricking it as she knew if they lost she, as PM, would be in the firing line. That little speech at the beginning asking them to tell her if she was coming across too strongly was desperation of the highest order.
I echo those who've said she was lucky. That and the fact that the other team were unlucky.
From what I've seen, she goes into psychob!tch mode unless she's PM.
Gets on my t!ts!
Can't wait 'til she's fired!
From what I've seen, she goes into psychob!tch mode unless she's PM.
Gets on my t!ts!Can't wait 'til she's fired!
Originally Posted by Vivid:
“What rubbish.
She demonstrated beyond any doubt whatsoever she is an incompetent moron without any redeeming qualities. She has no grasp of managing a project, strategic thinking, in fact of any thinking whatsoever, the only thing that concerns her is status, if she doesn't have it she undermines those who do, and she revels in it and indulges herself in it if she fortuitously has it. She has no respect for others, she has is very stupid and spiteful and has the sophistication of a pig sty. She is nothing but a small-minded ( in every respect ) chav.
You seem to equate her success in winning the task with her competence, to any vaguely perceptive observer she was obviously very very lucky and the team won despite her self-indulgences and appallingly inept leadership.”
“What rubbish.
She demonstrated beyond any doubt whatsoever she is an incompetent moron without any redeeming qualities. She has no grasp of managing a project, strategic thinking, in fact of any thinking whatsoever, the only thing that concerns her is status, if she doesn't have it she undermines those who do, and she revels in it and indulges herself in it if she fortuitously has it. She has no respect for others, she has is very stupid and spiteful and has the sophistication of a pig sty. She is nothing but a small-minded ( in every respect ) chav.
You seem to equate her success in winning the task with her competence, to any vaguely perceptive observer she was obviously very very lucky and the team won despite her self-indulgences and appallingly inept leadership.”
Do you not remember how well she did in the first task?
Anyway I actually agree with the bolded bit - like I say I don't like her AT ALL and think she will go back to her rude self soon enough, however I am pointing out that she has done well IMO when been in charge of a project
Originally Posted by duryea:
“She was awful. And Alex was chomping at the bit to launch into her if they lost the task. And rightfully so.
She's not changed. She was bricking it as she knew if they lost she, as PM, would be in the firing line. That little speech at the beginning asking them to tell her if she was coming across too strongly was desperation of the highest order.”
“She was awful. And Alex was chomping at the bit to launch into her if they lost the task. And rightfully so.
She's not changed. She was bricking it as she knew if they lost she, as PM, would be in the firing line. That little speech at the beginning asking them to tell her if she was coming across too strongly was desperation of the highest order.”
Did you notice Nick's face when she did that?
I agree that she was lucky.. if winning wasn't solely about the amount of money made, she'd have lost soundly. It was a total shambles and I thought more would have been made of them being too late for the tasting at the hall.
Served them right for being so patronising about the locals when they were in the car.
The first task was not very demanding and I think the influence of the project manager on success was small, though in saying that her lack of project manager skills may have played a role in the team's success. Because she is incapable of planning, strategic thought etc her approach was simply to dash into the task with all speed without thinking, as a result she got the most desirable pitch by some margin, whereas the boys did try to think, consider the decisions, and plan and this slowed them.
Basically Claire was very lucky that the task was ideally suited to a non-thinking, non-planning chav.
Basically Claire was very lucky that the task was ideally suited to a non-thinking, non-planning chav.
Originally Posted by Vivid:
“...Basically Claire was very lucky that the task was ideally suited to a non-thinking, non-planning chav.”
“...Basically Claire was very lucky that the task was ideally suited to a non-thinking, non-planning chav.”
...
...
The thing that the girls did right in the first task was to add up how much money they had made earlier enough to realise they needed to get rid of their remaining fish quickly and someone had the not too difficult idea to sell it to restaurants. The boys failed to do that and when they needed to sell it off decided imcomprehensibly to sell it to solicitors, not a profession known for its generosity.
I can't remember whether Claire was involved in the adding up or selling at the end but it won them the task.
I can't remember whether Claire was involved in the adding up or selling at the end but it won them the task.
Originally Posted by Vivid:
“She has no grasp of managing a project, strategic thinking, in fact of any thinking whatsoever,”
“She has no grasp of managing a project, strategic thinking, in fact of any thinking whatsoever,”
That seems a bit extreme. She got into trouble on this task because she couldn't source the oranges and cider. It's worth remembering here the filming constraints. She couldn't just go to the nearest supermarket; she could only buy from someone who was willing to be filmed. This has caused problems before: for example, when Karen was fired in series 2 for not finding the tyre, she'd actually found loads of tyres but no-one who'd agree to appear on camera. So I imagine it was the root cause of Claire's problems.
The rest of what happened was a knock-on effect. She spent so long doing that that there wasn't time to arrange appointments or the focus group. As I recall, she still got two appointments. The other team had 6, but 3 were with people who made their own ice-cream so were useless. So the other team actually had only one good appointment more.
I'm not saying she's a great leader, but I do think people are being a bit unfair to her. And much of the criticism seems based purely on not liking her personally, rather than on her performance.
I think she did considerably well in the first task, though she found in hard to control the girls, which is understandable seeing as there were a lot of them! She still managed to realise that the rest of the fish needed selling, and then went off and sold it for a good price, to the appropriate customer! Also, she did well for actually daring to be the first PM, as did alex, seeing as no one else was willing to step up. That was brave.
This second task, she wasn't very good at all. Yes, she was more tolerable and seemed to make an effort to be more pleasant etc, though im not sure how long it will last, however, she failed get enough appointments, or a tasting session, and i think it was the production team of Alex, Sara and Kevin who kept the team up and running.
This second task, she wasn't very good at all. Yes, she was more tolerable and seemed to make an effort to be more pleasant etc, though im not sure how long it will last, however, she failed get enough appointments, or a tasting session, and i think it was the production team of Alex, Sara and Kevin who kept the team up and running.
A leader has to be more than bolster and confidence. They have to be mature, able to shoulder and help solve problems, delegate...On the latest episode she'd clearly taken SAS's criticisms to her heart and made a little speech to her team regarding this. The problem is, platitudes are no use, it has to come from the heart. Maybe in years to come she'll be mature enough to be a leader but certainly not yet.
She's been team leader twice. She's won twice. Nobody else has been team leader twice, lots haven't even been team leader once. Half of the one's who have been team leader have lost (obviously). But strangely, only one team leader has so far been fired.
She'll go a long way - further than that ginger freak, the Irish one (who's card has now been marked), Raef (who let's face it, has done nothing now for the past four weeks), Alex and Lucinda (good at delegating, shit at doing).
She'll go a long way - further than that ginger freak, the Irish one (who's card has now been marked), Raef (who let's face it, has done nothing now for the past four weeks), Alex and Lucinda (good at delegating, shit at doing).
Your analysis is wrong in almost every regard.
She has been leader twice and on both occasions she demonstrated that she has no project management skills whatsoever, she is intellectually retarded, she is graceless and talentless, and mind boggingly inept in everything she does.
She will not go much further, Jennifer, Alex and Rajef ( who has been under the radar because he has done things competently) will go much further than this unpleasant self-centred chav.
You could not be more wrong.
She has been leader twice and on both occasions she demonstrated that she has no project management skills whatsoever, she is intellectually retarded, she is graceless and talentless, and mind boggingly inept in everything she does.
She will not go much further, Jennifer, Alex and Rajef ( who has been under the radar because he has done things competently) will go much further than this unpleasant self-centred chav.
You could not be more wrong.
can't stand claire. her team won this week by luck rather than judgement and certainly not because Lucinda's team underperformed in anyway.
thought on the whole this weeks tasks were very uneventful compared to other episodes.
fingers crossed that one week soon her team will fail the task spectacularly and for her to be given her marching orders.
My faves are (in no particular order) Raef, Lee, Lucinda, Sara
thought on the whole this weeks tasks were very uneventful compared to other episodes.
fingers crossed that one week soon her team will fail the task spectacularly and for her to be given her marching orders.
My faves are (in no particular order) Raef, Lee, Lucinda, Sara
Claire was winning PM this week because of the efforts of her team - not through any leadership skills she showed. Running round the countryside looking for oranges and propping up the bar sampling cider contributed nothing to the success of Renaissance.
Lucinda's team did under-perform. They got a few good sales on the second day and then became complacent. They were so convinced they'd won it, they stop trying. Claire's team never made that mistake. They kept pushing to the end, and because of that they got a big order at the last minute which won them the task. That wasn't luck. That was the exactly the kind of tenacity the apprentice needs.
The problems sourcing oranges and cider were probably due to filming restrictions. They couldn't just pop into a supermarket to buy them, like you or I would. They had to get permission to film, and refusals would not be included in the edit because they'd spoil the illusion. Most of the other problems were knock-on effects of losing so much time over the ingredients.
They only got 2 pre-booked appointments, but the other team only had 6. And of those 6, fully half were with people who made their own ice-cream and were not interested in buying anyone else's. So really it is 2 appointments versus 3, which is not so shabby. (The numbers are small because of filming restrictions again.)
The problems sourcing oranges and cider were probably due to filming restrictions. They couldn't just pop into a supermarket to buy them, like you or I would. They had to get permission to film, and refusals would not be included in the edit because they'd spoil the illusion. Most of the other problems were knock-on effects of losing so much time over the ingredients.
They only got 2 pre-booked appointments, but the other team only had 6. And of those 6, fully half were with people who made their own ice-cream and were not interested in buying anyone else's. So really it is 2 appointments versus 3, which is not so shabby. (The numbers are small because of filming restrictions again.)
Originally Posted by brangdon:
“Lucinda's team did under-perform. They got a few good sales on the second day and then became complacent. They were so convinced they'd won it, they stop trying. Claire's team never made that mistake. They kept pushing to the end, and because of that they got a big order at the last minute which won them the task. That wasn't luck. That was the exactly the kind of tenacity the apprentice needs.
The problems sourcing oranges and cider were probably due to filming restrictions. They couldn't just pop into a supermarket to buy them, like you or I would. They had to get permission to film, and refusals would not be included in the edit because they'd spoil the illusion. Most of the other problems were knock-on effects of losing so much time over the ingredients.
They only got 2 pre-booked appointments, but the other team only had 6. And of those 6, fully half were with people who made their own ice-cream and were not interested in buying anyone else's. So really it is 2 appointments versus 3, which is not so shabby. (The numbers are small because of filming restrictions again.)”
“Lucinda's team did under-perform. They got a few good sales on the second day and then became complacent. They were so convinced they'd won it, they stop trying. Claire's team never made that mistake. They kept pushing to the end, and because of that they got a big order at the last minute which won them the task. That wasn't luck. That was the exactly the kind of tenacity the apprentice needs.
The problems sourcing oranges and cider were probably due to filming restrictions. They couldn't just pop into a supermarket to buy them, like you or I would. They had to get permission to film, and refusals would not be included in the edit because they'd spoil the illusion. Most of the other problems were knock-on effects of losing so much time over the ingredients.
They only got 2 pre-booked appointments, but the other team only had 6. And of those 6, fully half were with people who made their own ice-cream and were not interested in buying anyone else's. So really it is 2 appointments versus 3, which is not so shabby. (The numbers are small because of filming restrictions again.)”
I totally agree that the other team were complacent and that wasn't due to Claire being a good PM. Claire won was because the other team were still playing the "let's get Lucinda out" tactic. I don't think it was an "accident" that 3 of those appointments were duffs and those duds were given to Lucinda (even Margaret rolled her eyes at the explanation they gave Lucinda when she phoned them to tell them that the customer made their own ice-cream)!
Claire, quite rightly got lambasted by SAS last week for continually undermining the PM and I'm sure that is why SAS singled out Jennifer this week. Both Jennifer are sales people and really should have gone for more leads but, did just enough (or so they thought) to cover their own backs and lay the blame for losing on everyone-else. Hopefully, the candidates will realise that Nick and Margaret DO report this type of behaviour back to SAS and if they are caught in the BR they are on a stickier wicket than the PM.
Originally Posted by brangdon:
“Lucinda's team did under-perform. They got a few good sales on the second day and then became complacent. They were so convinced they'd won it, they stop trying. Claire's team never made that mistake. They kept pushing to the end, and because of that they got a big order at the last minute which won them the task. That wasn't luck. That was the exactly the kind of tenacity the apprentice needs.
The problems sourcing oranges and cider were probably due to filming restrictions. They couldn't just pop into a supermarket to buy them, like you or I would. They had to get permission to film, and refusals would not be included in the edit because they'd spoil the illusion. Most of the other problems were knock-on effects of losing so much time over the ingredients.
They only got 2 pre-booked appointments, but the other team only had 6. And of those 6, fully half were with people who made their own ice-cream and were not interested in buying anyone else's. So really it is 2 appointments versus 3, which is not so shabby. (The numbers are small because of filming restrictions again.)”
“Lucinda's team did under-perform. They got a few good sales on the second day and then became complacent. They were so convinced they'd won it, they stop trying. Claire's team never made that mistake. They kept pushing to the end, and because of that they got a big order at the last minute which won them the task. That wasn't luck. That was the exactly the kind of tenacity the apprentice needs.
The problems sourcing oranges and cider were probably due to filming restrictions. They couldn't just pop into a supermarket to buy them, like you or I would. They had to get permission to film, and refusals would not be included in the edit because they'd spoil the illusion. Most of the other problems were knock-on effects of losing so much time over the ingredients.
They only got 2 pre-booked appointments, but the other team only had 6. And of those 6, fully half were with people who made their own ice-cream and were not interested in buying anyone else's. So really it is 2 appointments versus 3, which is not so shabby. (The numbers are small because of filming restrictions again.)”
They lost time over the ingredients because they failed to use their common sense. They could have used a supermarket - that's exactly what happened when the boys held their Italian night - they kept running out of ingredients so had to buy from the supermarket. Admittedly this meant paying higher prices in a task which they'd already bungled badly - but that didn't apply in this case. The production team steamed ahead with producing the ice cream and found themselves hanging around waiting for ingredients - because of the incompetence of Claire and co. Why didn't they phone to ensure availability of the oranges before racing around the countryside on a fool's errand - it would have saved endless time. They won because of the efficiency of Alex, Sara and Kevin - and to some degree Jenny C. They also won because they kept going till the final whistle. Claire had absolutely nothing to do with the ice cream production nor did she galvanise her team for any last ditch efforts. In fact I saw no leadership skills in Claire, and I'm still wondering what Michael does.
Is Claire a good manager? Hell no! IMO, her wins as PM were a combination of luck, and the contributions of her team members, but the wins certainly weren't down to her being a good leader/manager imo.
Lucinda lost her task as PM, but I think most would agree she was ridiculously better than Claire was on either of her tasks as PM. So just because Claire won twice doesn't mean she's any good!
Lucinda lost her task as PM, but I think most would agree she was ridiculously better than Claire was on either of her tasks as PM. So just because Claire won twice doesn't mean she's any good!
Originally Posted by Ignazio:
“Claire was winning PM this week because of the efforts of her team - not through any leadership skills she showed. Running round the countryside looking for oranges and propping up the bar sampling cider contributed nothing to the success of Renaissance.”
“Claire was winning PM this week because of the efforts of her team - not through any leadership skills she showed. Running round the countryside looking for oranges and propping up the bar sampling cider contributed nothing to the success of Renaissance.”
Hear Hear. She's a sneaky charlatan, who would be lucky to run a whelk stall in the real world.
Originally Posted by Ignazio:
“They could have used a supermarket - that's exactly what happened when the boys held their Italian night”
“They could have used a supermarket - that's exactly what happened when the boys held their Italian night”
They needed to find a supermarket that would led them film. This was is the country, not the middle of a city. She got the ingredients eventually but it took time.
Quote:
“They won because of the efficiency of Alex, Sara and Kevin - and to some degree Jenny C.”
“They won because of the efficiency of Alex, Sara and Kevin - and to some degree Jenny C.”
The teams seemed about equal on the production side. They won because Claire's team was better at selling. And not just because they got one big last order. The other team only got their big orders by offering exclusive deals, which they didn't have authority to do. If we take away those two deals, which Sir Alan wanted to do, they'd lose 230 litres worth. Claire's big final deal was for 200 litres, so if we take away that too, she still wins.
Quote:
“They also won because they kept going till the final whistle. [...]nor did she galvanise her team for any last ditch efforts.”
“They also won because they kept going till the final whistle. [...]nor did she galvanise her team for any last ditch efforts.”
She was there at the final deal. I think you are assuming that the edited programme shows everything of significance that happened, and that if it didn't show leadership skills from Claire she can't have any. I think that's unfair. She deserves as much credit for her wins as Raef did for his.
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