My former student, Amanda Hill, got the "good-bye" signal from Martha last night. I haven't watched the episode yet, but on the website, the jist seems to be that Amanda was not a "team player." Now, that may just be rhetoric, but it may also be true. But maybe it's not her fault. She went to law school. Law school is competitive. We all know the speech -- grading curves mean that others improve to my detriment and vice versa. There are no team projects. We do not grade on how well one works in a team. (There may be some exceptions here, but bear with me.) Amanda is up against MBAs who are used to working in groups and who do so at work.
We did watch last week's episode, though, and I did want to give Amanda a call (assuming time travel). I think Amanda felt that the goal of each task was to win. Nope. The goal is to contribute to your team's efforts in such a way that makes the team more likely to win but ensures that if your team loses that the project manager will appreciate your efforts enough not to tell Martha you should go. Amanda played to win, even if she annoyed her team. So, when her team finally lost, guess who got the boot? I do think that Amanda was substantively a very strong player, though, so I'm sorry to see her go. I think Dawna will be the winner.
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1. Posted by Shag from Brookline on November 17, 2005 @ 14:11 | Permalink
Christine,
Do you take this apcray seriously? Or is it a matter of "celebrity" because a former student is involved? Now that Martha's been "fired" perhaps Amanda won't feel she is over the hill. Would you be willing to play this game on a reality TV show yourself? How does this participation stack up with professionalism? The thought of an MBA eating a JD's lunch is upchucking.
2. Posted by Shag from Brookline on November 17, 2005 @ 14:11 | Permalink
Christine,
Do you take this apcray seriously? Or is it a matter of "celebrity" because a former student is involved? Now that Martha's been "fired" perhaps Amanda won't feel she is over the hill. Would you be willing to play this game on a reality TV show yourself? How does this participation stack up with professionalism? The thought of an MBA eating a JD's lunch is upchucking.
3. Posted by Christine on November 17, 2005 @ 14:52 | Permalink
Shag, I don't take much reality tv seriously. I have watched this show once since I learned my student was on it. I would describe that as "familiarity," not "celebrity." No, I would not be on a reality tv show myself, but I am intrigued by why people would. I guess someone could say that having a blog is in a way engaging in reality entertainment, so I'm not sure that I can be too judgmental.
I do take seriously the game theory involved in these types of reality shows. I never watched Survivor, but that show seemed to involve the same type of strategy. The Apprentice: Martha seems to be designed to reward good marketing skills, so I'm not devastated that MBAs or people who are in the business world would win over JDs.
4. Posted by nyg on November 18, 2005 @ 10:41 | Permalink
Christine,
I agree with your prediction on Dawna. She seems like the complete package, very competent. Also, from the Disney post requesting advice, my family especially enjoyed the GE Carousel of Progress, and seeing the way food is grown in Epcot. Many of our vegetables are grown hydroponically now, and it was a cool boat ride even younger children may enjoy.
5. Posted by Amanda on December 15, 2005 @ 15:00 | Permalink
Christine,
I have enjoyed your thoughts on the show and your thoughts regarding my firing last month. I was delighted to see that you even remembered who I was, since you were one of my favorite professors. I was surprised that you thought I was a good student, because I remember making a remarkable number of stupid mistakes. Perhaps I was not the only one. Ha! I do have a website now -- www.amandabhill.com. Feel free to check it out.
I don't take reality television very seriously, even thought I was crazy enough to get on one of them. I just thought it would be fun and provided yet another challenge in my life. . . I will say that it was an experience I'll never forget. Dawna and I are actually very close friends now, and for that I'm thankful for being on the show.
I was on again last night (pulled back in by Dawna for the last task) and will be on again next week.
Shoot me an email on my website anytime. I'd love to catch up!
6. Posted by Amanda on December 15, 2005 @ 15:02 | Permalink
Christine,
I have enjoyed your thoughts on the show and your comments regarding my "firing" last month. I was delighted to see that you even remembered who I was. I was especially surprised that you thought I was a good student, because I remember making a remarkable number of stupid mistakes. Perhaps I was not the only one. Ha! I do have a website now -- www.amandabhill.com. Feel free to check it out.
I don't take reality television very seriously, even thought I was crazy enough to get on one of them. I just thought it would be fun and provided yet another challenge in my life. . . I will say that it was an experience I'll never forget. Dawna and I are actually very close friends now, and for that I'm thankful for being on the show.
I was on again last night (pulled back in by Dawna for the last task) and will be on again next week.
Shoot me an email on my website anytime. I'd love to catch up!
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