With the overabundance of bad television shows that are continuously being produced, sometimes it can be hard to convince yourself that you need to sit down and watch TV for a few hours. It may be even harder to convince yourself that while watching TV, you’ll learn a few things about running a business.
The truth is, Undercover Boss is a show that will not only offer you some insight on how to run a business successfully, the show will also provide you with a nice hour filled with entertainment as well.
The Plot
The plotline of Undercover Boss is simple to understand.
Considered a reality TV series, the show focuses on an individual of a company, usually someone is extremely high up on the chain, such as a high-ranking executive, who goes undercover in their own business as an entry-level employee.
The man or woman will be disguised as a different person so that they are not recognized by any of the employees of the company. As entertaining as the disguisal process is, the end-result is usually fairly-convincing, turning the once-CEO into an entirely different person.
The company is then told that the camera crew following the employee around is filming a documentary on entry-level employees in a specific career field.
During the show, the higher-up will pose as an entry-level employee for a week or so, so that they can get hands-on experience in different areas and locations of their business, to find out what kinds of things are going on, where successes are happening and where failures are occurring.
At the end of the show, the individual reveals their identity and requests to meet with the employees they had one-on-one experience with. If the employee did things correctly, they are usually rewarded. If an employee was not on their best behavior, they are usually offered training classes or in rare cases, they are fired.
Why You Should Watch It
Undercover Boss is as entertaining as it is informative. Watching higher-ups get their hands dirty as entry-level employees is as fun to watch as it is seeing them transform into a completely new person.
All humor aside, the show takes a deep look into businesses and who is actually running them – the employees. Whether you’re a business owner or still trying to launch your startup, it’s important to remember that the employees of a company are the wheels of the operation, meaning your company cannot thrive if they are unhappy or working in poor conditions.
In some episodes of the show, there are loyal employees who are simply asking for new roofs for the buildings or equipment that works properly – things that shouldn’t have to be asked for. Running a business means paying attention to every aspect of your company, whether it’s an area you work in specifically or not.
If you take anything away from the show, remember this:
- As a small business owner, you want to form a relationship with your employees so that they can come to you when they need something. You may be the head of the company, but the arms and legs are your employees.
- Loyalty should be rewarded. In your company’s future, consider paying attention to the employees who have been by your side through thick and thin.
- Check in on what’s going on when you’re not around. It’s easy to do this when you’re running a small operation, but think ahead to the future. How will you manage this if your company turns into a huge corporation? Giving your employees a way to speak about their needs, whether you have 10 or 10,000, will go a long way and keep everybody satisfied.
