3 Lifelong Management Principles We Can Learn From 'Undercover Boss'

There's a lot of 'reality' TV shows out now-a-days, and most of them are pretty terrible. However, sometimes we find ourselves sucked into one of them for seemingly no reason. For me, that was the show Undercover Boss. If you've never seen the show, it has a pretty simple, but entertaining premise. Senior executives put on a disguise and join the ranks of the employees that make their businesses run day-to-day. At the end, they reveal themselves and hand out a pretty large sum of money to a few employees and even make changes to their organization as a whole. It's actually pretty inspiring.

Now, I know that when a company appears on this show, its probably a massive marketing stunt, but there is still some critical management principles to extract! Let's take a look at 3 Lifelong Management Principles we can all learn and implement.

1. Hire people that are better than you

Part of what makes 'Undercover Boss' so funny is that the senior executives seriously suck at doing manual labor and even basic social jobs. For instance, the former CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines had to perform basic ship maintenance with an employee that was very detail oriented. Long story short, he failed and learned to appreciate that eccentric New Yorker's abilities to keep the fleet looking good.

So, don't be afraid to hire people that are better than you. Whether you are a first tier manager or the CEO of a fortune 500, building a team of seriously talented people is where success begins.

WARNING: Do not, I repeat, do not hire people less qualified just to make you look good! It will only lead to poor results and that reflects on you.

2. Invest in career development (and take it seriously)

Career development is a word tossed around quite frequently in corporations...mostly when it's time for the end of year reviews. You may think that means people take it seriously right? If that's the case, why did nearly every single employee featured on 'Undercover Boss' feel trapped in their position? 

It's your job as a manager (at any level) to invest in the people that get things done for you. Get rid of that dog-eat-dog mentality, it won't yield a satisfying result. Frequently ask people what they REALLY want to end up doing. You may be surprised that Joe in sales doesn't want to do cold calls all day, even though he does so passionately for years. Transform people's passion and drive into value by giving them the motivation and opportunities they want.

3. Create a family, not a sweatshop

At the end of every episode of 'Undercover Boss', there is a company convention where the CEO talks about his experience. After having built bonds and contributed to the employees, they usually say something about how their views have changed. Some start new programs to help everyone in the organization, some don't, but I think they all come away with an understanding of what allows them to get up every morning and be a CEO or an executive. The people standing there in front of them.

Whether you have 2 employees or 2 million employees reporting to you, this really goes out to management at all levels. Create (as best you can) a family environment, not a sweatshop. Happy employees produce such greater results, it doesn't even compare. This does so many beneficial things for your organization... reduce churn rates, increase productivity, build better connections, and I'm sure even your Boss will notice.

Summary

In the end, this is just a TV show...and maybe I'm hoping to get a bit more out of it than it really presents. However, little things like the stuff above can have a huge impact on people. I can't help but think that there is a lack of this type of behavior in every organization. It shouldn't take a recession or a lull in business to realize this stuff, but sometimes it does. So maybe today, try implementing a new idea surrounding one of these things. Hire someone that is way better than you at something! Invest in your employee's career dreams! Create a better atmosphere! 

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My name is Travis Romero(@tjromero91) and I am passionate about Information Security, Leadership, and writing all about it. If you enjoyed this article, give it a share and maybe other's will find some value in it too. Comment below with some of your thoughts!

My other posts:

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