Promotion - leading your former team-mates

Simon Ambrose, winner of The Apprentice will now be counting his blessings as he gets ready for the opportunity of a lifetime. But as well as dealing with all sorts of business dilemmas, he will also have to be adept at smoothing ruffled feathers. While Ambrose will be flooded with congratulations from well wishers and colleagues, there will doubtless be some co-workers who are more than a little aggrieved that the job went to a competition winner and not to an employee who has worked his or her way up within the organisation.

Dealing with an unsupportive team requires extreme mental toughness and self-belief, especially since Ambrose will have the press and the public looking over his shoulder, always ready to criticise his every move.

ìThe crucial attribute of any successful leader is personal leadership. Before you can lead others, you simply must be able to lead yourselfî, said leading sport psychologist Professor Graham Jones, co-founder of Lane4. ìFor this, you need to be mentally tough, decisive and self-assured. There is always the temptation to lead those who are easy to lead and neglect those who are not.î

Ambrose will face a familiar problem encountered by people in organisations everyday- having to lead those whose familiarity with the leader has bred contempt. The short time that some of the previous winners have spent in Sir Alanís companies could well have been influenced by this feeling and the resulting pressure ñTim Campbell ñ winner of series 1 left soon after a year and Michelle Dewberry ñ last yearís winner, didnít even last that long.

ìI have experience of a company director who was promoted above his peers to managing director,î said Jones. ìSuddenly this person was chairing meetings and leading his ex-peers, but he faced a huge vulnerability because some of them felt they could do better and as such there was hostility and reluctance to comply.î

Things could be even more of a challenge for Ambrose. While most employees know relatively little about their bossí private life, Ambroseís life is an open book which has been delved into by the media and this knowledge will undoubtedly put Ambrose in a position of vulnerability. The only hope is for Sir Alanís new apprentice to practice humility and to communicate honestly with their staff. Great leaders listen, take knowledge onboard and then inspire those around them to perform exceptionally.

Jones finishes, ìThe search for The Apprentice may be over, but their real trial is just beginning. They have impressed Sir Alan, not they need to impress his staff.î

ëDeveloping Mental Toughness ñ Gold Medal Strategies for Transforming Your Business Performanceí by Professor Graham Jones and Adrian Moorhouse MBE is available in bookshops