By Denise Winterman BBC News Magazine

The Apprentice is back with its usual uber-confident candidates. It's easy to laugh at their posturing from the comfort of the sofa, but can we learn from this brash approach?

"I was born to do great things." Not the words of Gandhi or Mandela. Nor Einstein or Newton. No, this is the gospel according to 28-year-old car hire boss from Coventry, Majid Nagra.

If I just turn up I've won it, simple as that Apprentice Majid Nagra

A candidate in the latest series of The Apprentice, he thinks winning is going to be straightforward. "If I just turn up I've won it, simple as that."

Such modesty. But it's what we expect from the candidates - bravado and swagger, lashings of it, enough to make the viewer shout "come off it!" at the TV screen.

They do not even have the grace to blush self-consciously while describing themselves as "outstanding" or "the complete package".

But ignore the strutting and preening, the vanity and arrogance. Soaring self-belief and bravado are attributes that can get you far in business and beyond, say experts. We can actually learn from the likes of Majid or Debra.

I'm a winner. I'm a winner every single month that I do what I'm paid to do Apprentice Debra Barr

"Being extremely confident is a key essential in not only succeeding in business, but succeeding in all areas of your life," says Professor Ben Fletcher, head of psychology at Hertfordshire University and a specialist in workplace psychology.

"It can inspire those around you, give them more confidence and drive them on to improve themselves. That can be colleagues, friends or family."

Back it up

One high-profile exponent is football manager Jose Mourinho, who possessed enough confidence to refer to himself as the "special one".

NOT SHORT OF CONFIDENCE "I'm a special one"- football manager Jose Mourinho "We're the best band in the world" - Noel Gallagher of Oasis "I always thought I should be treated like a star" - Madonna

He is teased, gently, for saying this, but backs up this belief in his talents with results. He led Portuguese club Porto to the Champions League title, and under his management Chelsea won the Premier League two years running, as well as two League Cups.

Confidence in the workplace is absolutely essential, particularly with so much uncertainty, says Michelle Mone, creator of Ultimo lingerie and co-founder of MJM International.

"It helps productivity, it gives people a 'can do' attitude and it creates a positive working environment. People who don't have confidence don't speak up, they don't feel free to innovate and they don't believe they can succeed.

"A healthy level of confidence is the cornerstone for performance and success. I try to be confident in every work situation. As a leader it's hugely important to have a high level of confidence and to keep morale up amongst your team."

It could be of course that you are here because you are good with words - you know the right thing to say at the right time Sir Alan to the candidates

Part of the reason why the average person in the street squirms at the thought of such self-promotion comes down to being British, says workplace psychologist Gary Fitzgibbon.

"We don't like blowing our own trumpets, it's not what we do. But it's not seen as anything negative in America. If someone is good at something it's perfectly acceptable for them to be outspoken about it."

'Vulgar'

But being confident can easily flip from inspiring to insufferable, and that comes down to integrity. Bravado is hard to stomach when it simply cannot be true, says Professor Fletcher.

Business is the new rock 'n' roll and I'm Elvis Presley Apprentice Philip Taylor

If an apprentice candidate claims to be the UK's best salesperson - as they often do - you are left wondering why they are on the show. Shouldn't they be sitting in a swanky office somewhere counting their billions?

"A person cannot claim to be brilliant at something, or the best, if their achievements to date are very modest," he says.

"It shows a potential lack of integrity, and such a portrayal is a risky thing. If your confidence is shown to be worth nothing, you will come down like a house of cards. People will have a field day.

"It's best in a workplace to be bullish and strong, but at the same time show modesty and empathy. Say you are brilliant at something but back it up and recognise that other people have talents too."

"I'm the apprentice - end of," said Ruth, only to lose to Michelle

Extreme confidence backfires when it becomes arrogance, says Ms Mone. "A confident person isn't afraid to make a decision, but at the same time will listen and take on board other people's views, whilst an arrogant person will believe they're the only person who could be right."

So it's not wise to claim business is the new rock 'n' roll and you're its Elvis Presley, like one of the latest batch of candidates, Phillip Taylor. Especially not if you're an estate agent.

"You just look at this guy and think 'what are you going on about?'" says former contestant Michelle Dewberry. "I find such statements vulgar and arrogant. I think the trick is to be quietly confident."

And she knows, having won series two of The Apprentice in 2006. In the final she beat Ruth Badger, who'd confidently predicted from the off that "without a doubt" she was the apprentice. Turns out she wasn't.

Ms Dewberry, who left Sir Alan's employment just months after winning the show, and now runs her own consultancy firm, says when you brag, you set yourself up for failure.

"It's about under-promising and over-achieving, rather than over-promising and under-achieving," she says. "But that wouldn't be so much fun for the people to watch, would it?"

Add your comments on this story, using the form below.

There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. I think I tread it well.
Tim, Bournemouth

The greatest bragger of all was THE GREATEST. He said "I Am the Greatest!" many times, and proved it many times: Mohammed Ali. He backed his bragging up with results and ability. So I accepted it.
Phil Merryman, Bedford UK

What you need is Scottie from the old Star Trek. When asked how long a repair would take he always said something like three days, Jim would give him eight hours. He always delivered. If he had said six hours and took eight, his credibility would have been shot. Be confident, not overconfident. You will get found out and then you will come crashing down.
Gary, Plymouth

As an American in London for quite some time, I can't tell you how repetitive it is to hear the following: "Part of the reason why the average person squirms at the thought of such self-promotion comes down to being British. We don't like blowing our own trumpets, it's not what we do." I probably read a variation of that statement at least twice a month, be it in a BBC article or in a London Lite column. If the British are so very self-deprecating, why do they constantly insist on boasting about it? I can't decide what's worse - being ridiculously immodest about supposed modesty, or being be as unapologetically outspoken as you claim Americans are.
Kacy, London

As an American I enjoyed Kacy's comments. Contrary to wide-spread belief, the average American does not respond well to people who know they have talent and say so. I know so. Admittedly my social skills were practically non-existent as a young person, but when I said "I'm good at X Y and Z and I'm better than X or Y" it was just a statement of fact from my point of view. Most adults, however, seemed to think my self-belief was in need of some deflating. I'm sure I was obnoxious, but I was obviously talented. Now when I come across young talent (real talent) I tell them they're talented. It costs me nothing.
The Fairy With The Crooked Tooth, England

Walter Benjamin once argued that "none should ever be allowed to proclaim what he or she is good at, the most decisive strikes should always emanate from the left hand". He failed his doctoral thesis, never completed a book, died in a God forsaken port in Spain, but was soon recognised as one of the most influential philosophers of the last century. Sir Alan is the Messiah of our shallow and dark age in which arrogance is mistaken for talent.
Carlo Aldrovandi, Bradford

While I firmly believe that being confident is a great attribute, the kind of arrogance displayed by the apprentices only alienates people or makes others around you feel intimidated - neither of which makes for a healthy work environment. Confidence that is understated is far better than the brash over-the-top type which a lot of people interpret to be hiding deep insecurities. I would recommend that these people have a small slice of humble pie.
Tanya, London, UK

You can hear it in their voices. The people they're most trying to convince are themselves.
David Ricketts, Didcot, UK

Confidence: not arrogance nor self-delusion. If you are passionate about what you do and passionate about doing it well, you don't need to tell someone else that you are good at it. They believe in you because they can see it for themselves. It's authenticity, not grand statements that count. But that won't get you on the telly will it? And it isn't half as entertaining. Keep the self-deluded chosen ones coming. We love it.
Cristina Chapman, Nottingham

Trying to say something original at the start of the show and confidence in a person is an attractive quality. Unfortunately most of the new Apprentices just sounded so overly arrogant with their unfounded claims of greatness that they came over as completely deranged, rather than a weighty and successful business person.
KB, Surrey

"Business is the new rock 'n' roll and I'm Elvis Presley" - the last I heard Elvis was dead, and business at this moment in time was flat on its face. I only hope he has been coerced into such an idiotic statement by a television researcher, if not then I hope it was a cheap gag to his mates back in Memphis. The thing that I find so ridiculous about this show is that people actually believe the hype.
John Hogg, Glasgow

What ever happened to good decent British modesty? All this fake, and slightly delusional "I'm the best" mentality is what got us into the recession with bank executives thinking the size of their pay packet was proportional to their actual abilities.
Sal Gunduz, London, UK

There's a fine line between bragging and lying. It may be acceptable in some lines of business - media, fashion, sales of tacky items - but for many, there is no place. Think about healthcare, defence & aerospace, where integrity and honesty is paramount and has direct links to safety and life/death results. Most of the apprentices wouldn't last a month in these industries.
Chris, Hampshire

There's a big difference between confidence (knowing you are good at what you do) and arrogance (believing you are better than everyone else). That's something the Apprentices never seem to recognise, even when they're failing hopelessly at a task.
Jeeves, Bristol

If our bankers were a little less confident in their abilities and had started saying yes a little less, and no a little more when given their targets, then perhaps we wouldn't be in the financial mess we are now. A little ambition and a little positivity can be a good thing but not if it's bordering on narcissism, or retraction into a fantasy land of the limitless self. Not only last week there was an article on this website decrying the rise of narcissistic pupils in our schools. Such shows hardly set a good example to children.
Mark, Leeds

Mourinho, Gallacher and Madonna were all established national/international stars before they made those sort of comments, which leads to a simple question: Who had heard of any of these egomaniacs before they entered the show? Even an Apprentice knows the answer to that.
Stuart England, Ayr

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