In the new reality show,  “Undercover Boss,” executive leaders go “undercover” as new hires in entry-level positions, to better understand how their organization works.

The first episode featured Larry  O’Donnell, President of Waste Management, Inc. cleaning porta-potties along with one of his employees. After each show the executives reveal their true identity and talk about what they’ve learned.

To some people this is a revolutionary concept, but I have to ask, “Why doesn’t every manager, executive or CEO take time to understand what their employees actually do at work?”

I’ve conducted numerous organizational assessments and have spoken to several thousand employees, during my last twenty years as a consultant.” My clients include; hotels and restaurants, high tech, facilities and waste management, airlines, transportation, beverage bottling and distributing, public works, and call centers.

The most common complaint and question I hear is, “Why doesn’t my manager/ director/ CEO, try to do my job?” followed by, “ if he or she tried to do my work, they would understand what I have to deal with everyday.”

This is a big “DUH!”  The common mantra these days is, “engaged employees are productive employees.”  Employees who think you have no idea or empathy for them are not going to be engaged.

Read the full story on Fast Company.

1. Think synergy.
2. Continuous improvement is key.
3. A fresh set of eyes can see missed opportunities.
4. Employees can inspire management.
5. Many great leaders started at the bottom.
6. Communications is always a challenge.
7. Replicate what works.
8. An army runs on infrastructure and logistics.
9. There are tricks to doing just about anything.
10. Engineers make great executives.