Undercover Boss

They finally came up with a reality television show that I find interesting. Undercover Boss is good TV. High powered CEOs trade in their white collars and go undercover to work in their own mega-giant corporations. They serve coffee, sort trash, and clean toilets in order to experience what it is like in the trenches of companies they run.

The CEOs seem like decent human beings who truly care about their people. They walk away from their assignments quite impressed with hard work and dedication of their workers. Sadly, they are out of touch with the little people on the opposite end of the food chain. Many are surprised by their very own company policies. Larry O’Donnell, COO of Waste Management, could not believe that the female trash collector he was shadowing had to urinate in a coffee can during her shift.  Larry never stopped to think about potty breaks for garbage truck drivers.

I always say that the pain and dysfunction in a company comes from the internal policies and procedures. Leaders who experience the trenches first hand will be much better equipped to create policies that nurture and sustain people across the organization.

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