I have a lot of respect for Mark McGrath and sat here watching him leave Celebrity Apprentice. It was such a disappointment that I had to comment because it could have been avoided. Donald Trump will usually oust a person who states they are willing to leave for whatever reason and this happened to Mark. You cannot blame Donald for taking this position if someone is making the decision for him, leaving him with a lack of culpability. Although you have to admire Mark McGrath for being a gentleman, he could have turned this around and remained.

Donald Trump Jr. actually opened the door for Mark when he stated that in light of Gary Busey’s  behavior, the executives may have been predisposed to dislike the pirate theme, for which Mark McGrath took responsibility. Had Mark taken that information and combined it with the fact that Gary’s behavior before, during, and after the executives’ visit could have caused them to have a negative bias towards the men’s team, he could have stated to Donald Trump something along these lines, which could have changed the outcome:

Mr Trump, you’re right, I did state that if my pirate theme was the only reason why we lost, then I  was prepared to leave as Project Manager. However, in light of all of this other information, I can’t stand by what I have stated as it would be unfair to the team. We may have lost because they didn’t like the theme…but maybe they did’t like the theme because they didn’t like our team and as a result, rather than deal with the issues of Gary feeling sexual about the product or pitching them the opportunity of being a spokesman, which by the way, none of us were aware of until now…Mr Trump I think they stated they didn’t like the theme as it’s a lot easier than explaining the details of what happened with Gary. People often use something simple so they don’t have to justify something awkward, and this was awkward.

Donald Trump is a very reasonable and intelligent man and I believe he would have accepted this argument and Gary would have left. You never know when you need to negotiate….and you can’t practice enough. Good luck on your next negotiation and a hint here….keep a calm head because the minute you aren’t completely calm (ie the pressure of the boardroom on Celebrity Apprentice) you will lose the opportunity of thinking of your various options…without that pressure I’m sure Mark would have done just fine.

All the Best

Steven Riznyk
Lead Negoatiator
www.SanDiegoBizLaw.com