With kids and a company under my wing, I don’t have much time to watch TV. But, I did catch an episode of Undercover Boss, a documentary-like show where a high level executive goes undercover as a staff employee in order to get a first-hand glimpse of the organization.
By going undercover, the executive is able to see inner-workings of his or her company first-hand that are both working and not. It’s a chance to get a close-up on the good, the bad, and the ugly.
While not all CEOs and executive’s have a large enough company to do this, the purpose of the show applies to all. Whether you are a leader of a small or large company, it’s important to know what’s going on.
Though I cannot go undercover in a company of only 60 people, I do occasionally drop in on a conference call, sit in an empty desk, or tag along on a client meeting to see and hear what is going on.
As Undercover Boss shows, it’s the unsung employees of the organization who sometimes make all the difference. It’s your receptionist whose been answering phones for two decades or your call center employee whose been on the nightshift for five years. These employees have a stake in your company too, and by stepping outside your office, you can obtain crucial insight from some of your most dedicated yet overlooked employees.
By simply making time to talk to or get to know all employees, you will not only make them feel appreciated and special, but you will find out critical information about the operational successes or failures in your company.
In the future, it would be a good practice for all CEOs, VPs, and Directors to spend time with the people a few rungs below to find out what really goes on in your business.
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