Undercover lessons

Okay, I’ll admit that I have been sucked in by one of the latest reality shows to come out of the US, Undercover Boss. I know it’s a bit melodramatic, a bit corny and a little bit staged at times, but there are some terrific underlying messages that should make it required viewing for entrepreneurs.

For those who haven’t seen it, the premise is simple. The chief executive or chief operating officer of a big corporate (such as 7Eleven or takeaway food company White Castle) disguises themselves with a beard or glasses and goes “undercover” to work in junior roles in their company, in jobs like customer service, cleaning, packing and logistics.

The undercover boss’s co-workers are told they are being filmed for a documentary about the experiences of new workers, when in fact the co-workers themselves are the stars.

With a few notable exceptions, the co-workers are dedicated, hard-working staff members who go above and beyond the call of duty for the corporation, despite pretty low wages and some rough treatment.

Often the co-workers have incredible back stories that show how they have triumphed over adversity. We’ve met workers who have recently lost family members but were back on the job in a month. We’ve got shift workers who take the night shift so they can continue their studies. And last night we even met one staff member who is incredibly dedicated to her low-paying job because she was homeless until she was employed.

The stories are so heart warming that you get the feeling that the whole thing is a little staged (or at least very well edited), but the effect on the CEO is always the same – they are deeply touched by the dedication that their staff show, usually with no recognition from their superiors.

Yes, it’s pretty corny stuff in some ways, but that hasn’t stopped the media and management experts closely analysing the show to extract the management lessons.

Everyone has had a go – from Business Week to Inc, right through to the esteemed Financial Times.

And fair enough to. Behind the reality TV storyline, there are some good lessons for managers, even in small businesses where going undercover is impossible. Here are three:

Learn how your business interacts with customers

Experiencing every junior role in your business might not be practical or actually valuable, but spending some time with your customer service team definitely is. Watching how your customer service staff talk to customers, sell to customers and deal with complaints will give you a great window into how your business is actually seen in the marketplace. It could also show you where you could expand your product range, or what other selling tools your staff need.

Learn your workers’ stories

At the end of each show, the undercover boss meets with his duped co-workers, talks to them and usually gives them something in recognition of their personal story, such as a raise, a promotion or some other form of assistance. Nice on the show, but the reality is certainly much different – how could the boss of a company that employs thousands of people really get to know all is staff?

But in an SME, you do have that opportunity. Understanding what motivates staff and what personal issues they might have can help a manager improve employee engagement and, where possible, tailor jobs to keep their best staff. For example, if one staff member is a single parent, providing or subsidising child care might help their situation, and keep them tied to the company.

Learn how to encourage and promote talent

The overarching theme of the show is that potential star workers can be found at every level, if they are given recognition and the chance to develop their skills. Most of the businesses featured on the show appear to be pretty poor at getting their stars into the right roles, or giving them the autonomy to influence other staff. How do you spot stars in your business?