Undercover Boss (Water techs don't cry...)

Tonight was a another great episode of Undercover Boss on CBS. It blows my mind that it took a TV show and a TV network to help open up the eyes of these ivory tower execs.

Tonight's episode showed a spoiled rotten brat of a CEO getting his life lesson and seeing what his employees really mean to his organization. Sheldon Yellen of Belfor breaking down in front of his employees was gut-wrenching, but quite honestly, it's what all these millionaire cry-babies need to hear and see. The front line people MAKE THE DIFFERENCE! No company will exist without people like these!

Could you replace Jen, Brenda, Joe or Drew with other employees? Of course you could. But what Sheldon learned and what other CEOs will learn when they spend time with their front line employees is that there are AMAZING wonderful people out there who do their jobs but are also passionate about making the organization better and are being ignored by the oblivious cold nature of organizations today.

We've so insulated our companies with reporting structures, human resource departments that treat employees like cattle (no offense to my HR friends implied!) that we've no feeling of what those people who do the day to day work mean and that they are real people living real lives with real problems. Sheldon Yellen bought off some of his grief by helping his employees to offset their debts which will pay short-term gains. Will he change and be true to the new Sheldon image he portrayed at the end of the episode? It's hard to say.

This kind of "day in the shoes" moment would be eye-opening if not life-altering for most execs; it kinda makes you wonder why other CEOs and C-level execs don't have the nerve to do the same.

So here's one man's open call to all CEO's and execs who aren't connected to the people who do the actual work bringing in revenue each day -- take a day out of the posh office and private jets, cushy lunches and country clubs world and step into your employees shoes' for at least a day and see why the disconnect growing ever larger makes your company worse EVERY day. The dividends you lose for 24 hours of not being in your office will be repaid in spades of loyalty, understanding and newfound talent when you see what awaits you in the ranks.

Who's got the guts to do it? If you need help connecting to your front lines or finding a way to connect to your people and you can't find any one in your organization to help you sort out how to make it work, call me and we'll find a way.