I recently had the opportunity to watch a new reality show on CBS called “Undercover Boss”.  For those that missed the premiere of this CBS reality show, the premise is that CEO’s and chief executives of large corporations “leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their company.” The first episode highlighted the President and C.O.O. of Waste Management out in the trenches working the garbage shifts alongside his employees.    Admittedly, the show completely captivated me.  Now, it is still up for debate how scripted the show was, but the notion that leaders of organizations would take the time to listen to their lower level employees and then use that feedback to incorporate changes into business practices is commendable. 

 But the lesson here is that leaders should not have to go undercover to discover the challenges and problems that lie within their organization.  Why not keep the lines of communication open from the start and create a culture that empowers employees to have a voice?  It appears that these undercover bosses are employing a one-way, top-down management approach and not actively engaging in a two-way dialogue with their employees to make more informed and effective operating decisions.  Employees are an organization’s best source of knowledge and can be their greatest asset for building a successful company if the employees are properly engaged.    

 There are many simple and effective engagement tools that can be implemented to increase this two-way dialogue.  For example, many companies are tapping into the world of social media for their own internal audiences and developing micro communities for employees to get together and share information on a variety of topics.   This can be very effective for organizations that have employees spread across various locations.   Another mechanism is to establish and encourage employees to get involved in employee task forces and action committees.   This provides a channel for employees to feel engaged and empowered by actively taking a part in improving the company.

 No matter what tool is adopted, the key lesson for leaders is that an engaged workforce can lead to business success*.  Don’t wait until it’s too late and you need to go undercover to discover the problems within your organization.   

 *And if you don’t believe me, check out this article by Hewitt Associates that shows the link between employee engagement and companies that experience double digit growth.