Found these 10 Trump-approved methods for success; great excuse to go emoticon-crazy too. Don’t know about (3) on the use of aggression, I prefer to stand aside and let a touch of reality do the trick, but that’s me getting a bit Zen again:

Think Big. Show the Competition No Mercy. Defend Yourself Aggressively. Remember, Consensus Is Overrated. Identify All Possible Resources, and Use Them Strategically. Cut Your Losses. Get Face-to-Face With Key Decision-Makers. Step Up – Take Intelligent Chances, and Then Take Responsibility. Advance the Most Profitable Deal. Negotiate Tough.

1. Employers look for people who dare go after a riskier but more potentially rewarding path, who will pull through more often than not. These are what Trump calls Big Thinkers. The apprentice will have to be this and much, much more.

2. The apprentice will have to be able to Show the Competition No Mercy. He does this by identifying and neutralising competition – both outside and inside. He recognises there will be team-mates who are not above stealing his ideas or credit for his work, or sabotaging his ambitions.

3. If things take a turn for the worse and they sometimes do, the apprentice will Defend Himself Aggressively. It doesn’t matter whether he is right or wrong, what matters is that he steps up and defends himself aggressively. How he tackles false charges and inaccuracies will be perceived as a measure of his fighting spirit.

4. The problem with group-think is that the watered down solution that is agreeable to everyone is rarely often the best solution, that Consensus is Overrated – so, when in a leadership position, his team cannot come to a compromise, he takes what he thinks is the best idea and runs with it.

5. Being able to Identify All Possible Resources and Use Them Intelligently, especially non-cash resources like getting things one needs without paying full price for them, ingenious methods of attracting potential customers, getting people to work for free, goes a long way to aiding continual business survival. The apprentice recognises this and uses the resources to his advantage.

6. And if things somehow don’t work according to plan, the apprentice will Cut His Losses, and move on. In a leadership position, these include reshuffling a team, changing a design, approach or product line and firing someone. Continuing with something or someone that is not working is a waste of resources, time and energy.

7. To win over a position or a business, the apprentice will Get Face-to-Face with Key Decision Makers as often as possible, and make his case with passion and style. Non verbal communication counts and face time will give him the chance to feel out his contact’s distinct way of interacting with the world. More importantly, he will get to bond with that person.

8. Failure comes with the territory but the apprentice knows how to Step Up – Take Intelligent Chances, and Then Take Responsibility. He recognises the right risks as the ones that present the possibility of a high payoff, have manageable downsides, take advantage of his demonstrated strengths and resources and neutralises his competition.

9. In any business situation, the apprentice knows that he only has a certain number of hours to work on it, so it makes sense to Advance the Most Profitable Deal. Business propositions that can’t be expected to realistically deliver a minimum level of profit are a dime a dozen – he recognises those.

10. The apprentice will Negotiate Tough but flexibly, remembering every negotiating partner is different, thus no two negotiations will be alike. So, he researches beforehand, adapts his strategy to the person he is talking to, pushes when he can and walks away when he should.