About a month ago following the Superbowl I caught the debut episode of the new CBS reality television show "Undercover Boss". For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, CBS describes it as follows:
Each week a different executive will leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their company. While working alongside their employees, they will see the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organization and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their company run.
As a business consultant focusing on talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention I was naturally curious to see what the show was all about and what, if anything, might be learned from this latest "reality" television series. Clearly I wasn't alone in my curiosity as many of my fellow HR and talent management bloggers weighed in on the show and submitted their thoughts to a special Undercover Boss edition of the latest Carnival of Human Resources.
While I have only seen the debut episode of the show, and am quick to question the "reality" of any so-called "reality" television series, the first episode had a definite effect on me and really got me thinking about the disconnect between front line employees and upper management that is all too common in many organizations (even small ones).
Here are a few examples of what I observed and learned:
- Frontline positions are not always as easy one would like to think.
- Frontline employees are always the closest to the Customer and mandates "from corporate" not only affect your employees, but more importantly the Customers they serve.
- Placing someone outside their comfort zone and in another's shoes is a great way to encourage a greater empathetic outlook.
- The importance of adopting a bottom-up perspective when making decisions that affect your frontline employees.
- Employee morale and engagement is as important now as it has ever been.
- The need to ask oneself "If I had to live with the effects of this decision, how would it make me feel about my employer and my job?"
- A lack of communication and buy-in at the top of the organizational chart only becomes amplified as one moves towards the bottom of the organizational chart.
I think most organizations could use a dose of "undercover boss" treatment. However, it doesn't have to be fraught with disguises, trickery, and false pretenses. Rather it can be as simple as leaving your office, getting out of the "ivory tower", and creating an atmosphere where frontline employees feel comfortable sharing what they see in their day to day duties on the job. Call it management by wandering around, call it bottom-up feedback, call it whatever you like - just get out and do it.
An example from my past... When I was in college I worked as a line cook at a restaurant chain best known for its great breakfast menu. One Sunday afternoon towards the end of my shift Russ, the district manager who oversaw a dozen or so restaurants, stopped by to see how things were going.
He eventually made his way into the "back of the house" where I was busy cleaning the prep area. Russ said hello and remarked how dirty one of the floor drains was. "This isn't going to be good" I couldn't help but think to myself. Much to my surprise he reached into my cleaning bucket, pulled out a rag, and got onto his hands and knees and began cleaning that drain with as much vigor as I had ever seen from a 60 year old man.
Naturally I got on my knees and helped him clean the drain. As I did this something weird happened - I no longer looked at Russ as the guy who stopped by to check in a couple times a month and whose presence caused everyone to rush around in an attempt to look busy. Rather, I began to see Russ as a leader who takes pride in his organization and is willing to pitch in a helping hand when needed.
As we cleaned the stubborn drain, we had an incredibly candid conversation where he asked why the drain hadn't appeared to be cleaned in several weeks when it is supposed to be cleaned daily. He wasn't angry, he wasn't interrogating me, or even looking for someone to blame. Instead, Russ genuinely wanted to know what was causing this daily cleaning duty to be neglected and how the problem could be corrected. Feeling "safe" I explained to him why I felt certain staffing issues were causing some of the daily cleaning duties to be overlooked.
After we finished cleaning the drain Russ remarked, "You know, it's easy to forget how tough this job can be sometimes," and then proceeded to thank me for my hard work and honest feedback. I'll never forget the way I felt as I left work that afternoon: that my efforts were appreciated and that my feedback was valued. It wasn't but a few days later that the staffing concerns I expressed to Russ were addressed and the appearance and cleanliness of kitchen greatly improved.
This is what great leadership and management is all about - getting out there and talking with the people who make your company move and using their feedback and insight to make your organization run more effectively. When was the last time you did that?
Being an "undercover boss" is nothing more than helping your employees to see you as someone they can trust and someone they can share their honest thoughts and opinions about their position and the organization without fear.
That doesn't sound so tough now does it?
Now go "undercover" and Maximize Possibility!
Related blog posts you may be interested in:
Corporate Culture Change and Leadership Viewpoints
What Kind of Culture are Your Leaders Creating?
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention.
