Last night after the Super Bowl I watched the first episode of the new CBS series, “Undercover Boss.” This reality series shows the experience of CEOs who go undercover and accompany a front line employee on a typical work day. The CEO of Waste Management, Inc., a company with 45,000 employees nationwide, was crestfallen to learn some of the policies he himself had demanded created huge motivational issues. Eyes opened by what he learned, the CEO has instituted company-wide changes.

The preview for next week shows a manager manipulating his female employees into performing some demeaning acts. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

What do you suppose the mid-managers and supervisors think when they find out what their boss is up to? In my experience I’ve never known anyone who sits between the boss and the front line who would welcome that visit.

Most companies I’ve worked with as a consultant are too small for the CEO to go undercover. However, many are eager to learn what’s going on that can’t be learned from middle-management. Instead of undercover they use surveys, employee action committees, walking around, asking questions, listening, observing, conducting exit interviews, and so on.

What’s been your experience with bosses? As a boss, how do you stay tuned in?

Posted by Bernice Johnston at 4:55 pm

Labels: communication practices  leadership  managing/supervising  success factors  work challenges