Undercover Boss? How About Undercover Hermit?

Get out of your offices and go meet your employees.

Published: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 - 06:00

In the last several months, a new reality TV program entitled “Undercover Boss” has surfaced. The premise is that a CEO or top executive of a company travels to a store or factory of the company where the senior manager pretends to be an entry-level employee. To explain the presence of cameras, the undercover CEO tells the people in the company that he is newly unemployed and a local TV station is filming a documentary to discover how he adapts to a new position.

While at the new position, the CEO attempts to discover what the employees think about the company, and how each of them interacts with each other and the management. To date, the program has featured bosses from Hooters, White Castle, 7-11 convenience stores, Waste Management, and Churchill Downs. In many instances, the boss finds employees that are dedicated and others who need additional training.

What struck me about this series is what kind of a company has a CEO who’s not known by its employees? Aren’t there annual reports with pictures, or how about periodic internal newsletters, or regular site visits? Haven’t these companies ever telecast a message from the CEO? Aren’t new hires exposed to the management hierarchy by providing them with an organizational chart, which often contains pictures?

In my mind an exceptional company could never have its CEO wander around without someone recognizing him or her. Management should be practicing MWA or “management by walking around.” 

I don’t feel that the companies featured on this program are exemplary companies, because if they were, the employees would immediately recognize the CEO. Obviously, those companies have rarely had their CEO travel to the various sites.

I’m confident that there are numerous CEOs who could not portray themselves to be undercover bosses because of their commitment to presenting a “face” to their staff. While I was director of the Michigan Quality Council, with responsibility for quality and customer service, I interacted with hundreds of companies at the state and national level. What struck me was the commitment of senior management to be present at staff meetings and even travel to the various company sites for feedback meetings. Two CEO’s that immediately come to mind are Simon Cooper of the Ritz-Carlton and Bill Marriott of Marriott Hotels. Both have a reputation for being people-oriented and, as such, it would be impossible for either of them to wander into a hotel and portray themselves as an employee.

So as we view the upcoming episodes of “Undercover Boss,” keep in mind that some of these bosses are more like hermits than CEOs. And if you are working for a company where the boss has barricaded himself in his office, how about mailing a Herman’s Hermits album to the office with a note such as, “Unless you are in a witness protection program how about coming out of your cushy lair and meeting with the staff?” It may not endear you to the boss, but it will give you an indication of how this hibernator values the staff; and depending on the response, you may want to refresh your resume. There are lots of companies out there that aren’t managed by hermits. Look for one and move on.

Back in January, I wrote a column “This Is No Time to Hibernate or Vegetate,” where I stated my commitment to lose 10 pounds by the time my 67th birthday rolled around on March 30.  At the time of my column I weighed in at 185 pounds, the most I have ever weighed—I looked like Smokey Bear (minus the dapper hat) lying in my hammock. Well, my birthday has come and I am prepared to make my report.

First of all, let me say that I really didn’t start to bear down (no pun intended) until around the first of March. There were just too many parties, too many lunches, and too many snacks in our pantry. Frankly, as a retiree, what else is there to do but go out to lunch with friends? So here’s what happened:

I continued my daily routine of running five miles everyday. In addition, I cleaned up my road bike and embarked on daily seven-mile rides on the safety paths in our community.

Out went the potato chips, although they are my favorite snack. I also eliminated sodas in favor of iced tea with no sugar. This was difficult because Pepsi just introduced a product called “Throw Back,” which contains real sugar, no additives, and a full flavored taste—just like in the old days.

For the last two weeks, I have been eating salads and no bread. This was difficult because who doesn’t like a juicy hamburger with a tomato and a huge onion slice? And of course, I refrained from another favorite—Coney dogs with chili and onions. Talk about suffering. But since it was Lent maybe I should have some pain.

For inspiration I started to watch the TV program “The Biggest Loser.” If you ever need a reason to lose weight, just watch an episode of these dedicated, rather large people hell-bent on losing more than a 100 pounds in about three months. The exercise program and healthy eating obviously work as all have had significant weight losses. As a further aid, we purchased the Biggest Loser Scale, which not only measures your weight, but registers body fat and indicates your ideal weight based on data you enter into the system. It even highlights the number of calories to consume daily to maintain your ideal weight. 

So there you have it. It’s been a tough month and I’m always hungry so I supplement my meals with some fruit and lots of water. The result? I’m at 175 pounds. My cholesterol is down as is my blood pressure, and I can fit into all my summer clothes from last year. But on my birthday, look out. Because (obligatory quality buzz words on their way because my editor tells me I stray off point) I’m going out for a total quality munchable (TQM) Buddy’s Pizza, an ISO certified Pepsi Throw Back, and a piece of Six Sigma (maybe even Seven Sigma) coconut cream pie from Achatz Pie Co. in Oxford, Michigan. And to keep my doctor happy, I might just be riding my statistically process controlled bike to all those places.

About The Author

Bill Kalmar

William J. Kalmar has extensive business experience, including service with a Fortune 500 bank and the Michigan Quality Council, of which he served as director from 1993 through 2003. He served on the Board of Overseers of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and has been a Baldrige examiner. He was also named quality professional of the year by the ASQ Detroit chapter. Now semiretired, Kalmar does freelance writing for several publications. He is a member of the USA Today Vacation Panel, a mystery shopper for several companies, and a frequent presenter and lecturer.