Boss Mode or Getting Past the Palace Guard

I have become a huge Apprentice fan. Thursday evenings you’ll find me glued to the television, excited, focused and wondering who will be fired next. I’m willing to bet that many of my readers share that obsession.

Whenever I talk about Getting Past the Palace Guard, the secretaries, receptionists, assistants, voice mail, anyone and/or anything that blocks access, I’ve taken to pointing to Donald Trump. The question I ask: “If Donald Trump were to call your prospect and that prospect’s secretary were to say to him, ‘What is this in reference to?’ what do you think Donald Trump would say?”

This question always occasions much conversation. The general consensus of opinion, however, is that Donald Trump would probably say, “This is Donald Trump. Is she there?”

Another example: If Barbra Streisand calls Steven Spielberg at DreamWorks and Steven’s secretary says to her, “What is this in reference to?” here is what Barbara will not say: “I’m a singer and an actress and a producer and maybe you’ve seen some of my movies?” She would probably say, “This is...