In the CBS television show, Undercover Boss, senior leaders in these companies learn about the work lives that their employees experience, although in an unusual and perhaps somewhat directed, way. But the concept is solid.
In the high performance, values-aligned organizations we study, senior leaders don’t see the “live in your employee’s shoes” opportunity as once-in-a-career but as a regular occurrence. While Undercover Boss is good for TV (it is entertaining and feel-good) the approach could be tweaked for the everyday leader. Don’t go undercover – go side-by-side!
Employees know a great deal about what systems, policies and procedures help them do the right things, and what red tape inhibits them. A leader who is willing to spend some time side-by-side with employees who implement many of the organization’s polices, rather than stay locked away in endless meetings studying spreadsheets, can learn a lot.
Seek out a few employees who would be willing to have you shadow them for two hours on a given workday. Schedule these as no-matter-what appointments on your calendar. Don’t cancel them for any reason. That shows respect to your team.
Let’s say Bill is your first appointment. Stand by Bill and observe him doing his job. At the end of that two hours, take Bill out for coffee or soda, and ask what gets in his way on a day-to-day basis. If he were in your shoes, what is the first thing he’d do to improve the work environment? Act on as many of his suggestions as you can, as soon as you can, and schedule your next “side-by-side” appointment with a different employee, in a different department.
Do this at least once a week – preferably two times a week. Over the course of a year, you’ll meet over 100 employees and learn a bunch–more than you would from lists, statistics and numbers. By acting on their suggestions whenever reasonably possible, you’ll make significant workplace improvements that will inspire better performance, higher service delivery, and increased employee engagement. If you can’t implement all of their suggestions the fact that you listen and engage willingly will still improve morale.
How cool is that?
