A good boss makes his men realize that they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could. – Charles Erwin Wilson
“Undercover Boss” has emerged as one of CBS’ top-rated shows on Sunday evenings. As CBS states, “Each week, the show follows a different executive as they leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their companies.”
The cleverly disguised executive will work alongside his or her front line people, learn their jobs, see first- hand the effects of their decisions, and discover what is working, and in some cases what is not. At the show’s conclusion the people they worked with are brought in to meet with the boss whose true identity is then revealed.
While many arguments for and against the show have emerged since its debut in the United States, the show continues to do well in the ratings. People like to see a boss who is not afraid to get in the trenches and get his hands dirty. While the show typically ends on a good note, it does lead to questions about leadership and the state of today’s workplace.
Last year, Maritz Research, a leader in employee satisfaction research conducted a poll that found that despite a slight improvement in business conditions, “the American workforce remains less engaged with their employees than they did a year ago. Poor communication, lack of perceived caring; inconsistent behavior and perceptions of favoritism were cited by respondents as the largest contributors to their lack of trust in senior leaders.”
So what lessons can we learn from “Undercover Boss” and other emerging leadership trends going forward? How can a leader best engage his employees and reverse negative perceptions? Let’s begin the conversation with these two ideas.
Relationships matter. Leaders in the 21st century are those who connect with their people and build relationships. The passé vertical flowcharts are trending more toward horizontal ones. Writing for Trainingmag.com Deb Busser states, “The leader as an expert with a style of command and control is out. The leader as a visionary who facilitates creativity, collaboration, true empowerment, and shared purpose is in. Leaders in the evolving workplace seek to engage not only their employees’ minds but their hearts.”
When a leader builds relationships with his people he is building trust, engaging hearts, and setting in motion the core principles of a successful organization based on shared values. John Maxwell is right when he says, “Any message you try to convey must contain a piece of you. You can’t just deliver words. You can’t merely convey information. You need to be more than just a messenger. You must be the message you want to deliver. Otherwise, you won’t have credibility and you won’t connect.” Values are best shared and embraced through a leader who is connected to his people.
Collaboration is powerful. A recent study ranked “resistance to change” as number 4 in a list of the most common career-limiting habits. While a person’s inability to change will hold him back, a company’s inability to change can be crippling. Resistance to change is most closely associated with those who have little input in determining change but have high responsibility in carrying it out. And this is where most leaders drop the ball.
As “Undercover Boss” portrays, employees desire to contribute in meaningful ways, appreciate their voice being heard, and will go the extra mile on behalf of their company and serve their customers. Before implementing strategic change a smart leader will pull together those who will most directly be affected by the change to get their input and give them ownership.
Again, the model is not top-down, but horizontal. Of less importance is your title or position. Value is found in what you know and how employees contribute as team players. When leaders collaborate and build relationships it generates good will, unleashes potential, and causes everyone to rise to a new level.
The leadership landscape in the workplace is changing. Are you adapting? Are you engaged? You can’t be “undercover” in your approach and application. You can, however, be relational and collaborative.
© 2012 Doug Dickerson
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