UNTIL, that is, I caught a snippet (on the national news), of “Undercover Boss”. For those of you who are like me and have been catching up on your reading and flipping past the plethora of reality TV shows, this program features the CEO of a prominent company who goes “undercover” as a new employee within his/her company. The CEO- turned-entry-level-employee has the opportunity to experience the effects of his/her leadership and company policies first-hand.

This concept really piqued my interest, so I went online and watched a couple of episodes – all in the name of professional research, of course. Seriously, though, it was pretty interesting. Once you get past the fact that these people have a cameraman following them around and recording their every interaction, (they tell the “real” employees that they are documenting the experiences of new employees), it is pretty telling.

I wonder… as a leader, if you had the opportunity to “go undercover” in a similar manner, what would you find? What do your employees think of your leadership style? Your policies and procedures? The company culture and environment you have created?

I dare say, this is not for the faint hearted. You’d have to be open to receiving the unvarnished, non-sugarcoated truth to go undercover like this. Many of these “bosses” discover how unrealistic their policies are in the “real” world. Some are floored by the level of dedication and loyalty expressed by employees in the lowest ranks of the organization. Most are moved to make some changes in their leadership practices.

Again, I ask you, what would you find? Have you created an environment of respect and trust? Do team members feel comfortable disagreeing with you for the greater good of the company or the customer?

Or are your employees walking around afraid to mention that, ahem, the emperor, (aka YOU), has no clothes?

It can be very intimidating to ask for candid feedback from your team members and direct reports, peers, and superiors. It’s a little like – ladies you’ll appreciate this analogy – trying on bathing suits in the department stores. You know, they’ve got those (dreaded) mirrors that give you the complete view from every angle. (Who invented those mirrors anyway? I hate those things!)

Getting a peek at that rearview can be a very powerful experience for most people. Seeing yourself from every angle, including the perspective of your team members, can even move you to change some things.

I challenge you to get up from behind that desk and go out and mix and mingle with the rank and file. Ask for, and really listen to, their input. Ask questions about their experiences and their realities.

What you find may be quite revealing!

Besides watching my kids and supporting the team, I enjoy observing the coaches. Coaches always fascinate me because the really good ones can get players to perform in ways that even the players themselves didn’t know they could do.

I’m reminded of some great leaders that I’ve known throughout my career and how they acted, in many ways, like a coach. Think about an influential boss or leader who had a tremendous impact on you. I’ll bet they, too, served as a coach.

Outstanding coaches don’t just have a technical knowledge of the game/business, they have a gift for inspiring others. Business, like sports, is a team effort, and to succeed, we need each player/team member giving their best.

Great coaches know that …

• It’s not important to “put in” what was “left out’ of your players; It’s important to draw out what was left in. Find ways to tap into your team members’ inner greatness. Draw out the best that they have to give.
• Each “player” has unique talents and gifts and we should encourage them to play to those strengths. What a waste not to capitalize on each player’s natural abilities and assets!
• A word of praise goes so much farther than criticism. You may have to look hard to find something to praise, but it will be well worth your effort. Can you remember a mentor complimenting you? Suddenly your posture got straighter and you wanted to live up to those positive words. The same happens with your team members.
• Losing one game or making one mistake does not make the player a loser. Successful coaches use those temporary set backs as teaching moments.
• Sharing the credit for team success builds everyone’s self confidence, pride, and trust.
• They are being watched! Successful leaders know that they must first model the way for their players.

Are you an outstanding coach? I’m sure we can all use some practice in this area. Be prepared, though, because serving as a great coach is a job where you will receive as much in return as you give.

We were in a leadership development workshop, discussing the integral role that trust plays within an organization, particularly between a manager and his or her team members. Louis serves as a Lead Operator on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. His rationale behind this statement isn’t hard to understand. In his role, he puts life and limb on the line every day, and if he can’t be absolutely sure that his co-workers are being safe and not cutting corners, he doesn’t want to work with them.

You may not be in a life and death situation in your workplace, but I can assure you, trust is just as important. Trust is an integral part of being a leader, whether you’re a leader by title or by influence. Frankly, it is an important part of any relationship.

Stephen Covey, author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” compares trust in a relationship to an emotional bank account. We can make deposits or withdrawals to the account. When we follow through and do what we say we’re going to do, we’re making deposits. If we make enough deposits, trust is earned and our account earns interest and grows. When we let someone down or fail to honor a commitment, we make a withdrawal. If we make too many withdrawals, our “account” will be “overdrawn” and trust is shaken.

Trust can’t be compartmentalized. Cheryl Biehl says, “One of the realities of life is that if you can’t trust a person at all points, you can’t truly trust him at any point”. To earn trust, our actions must be consistent. If I’m only trustworthy in some things but not all, it’s like cooking a huge pot of gumbo, then adding strychnine to the pot and saying that only part of the gumbo is poisoned. Now, give me a shot or two of Tabasco in my gumbo, but I’ll pass on the poison! Consistency is the key.

Are you earning your team members’ trust by acting consistently?

It goes both ways, too. “He who trusts in others will be trusted in return.” One thing that is apparently tough for many leaders to do is to place their trust in others. When I was just starting out in my career, I worked with a manager who assigned me an important project and let me run with it. Nothing could have been more motivating or inspiring than having her place her confidence in me. I truly wanted to do a great job so that I could show her she had made the right judgment call.

When you let a team member know that you believe in them, they will want to produce positive results – they’ll run through a brick wall for you – anything not to let you down.

Think about someone who made a significant difference in your life. Maybe it was a boss, coach, teacher, or even a parent or grandparent. Think about how it felt when they expressed their confidence in your abilities.

Are you showing your team members that you believe in them?

What’s trust got to do with it? In leadership and in relationships, it’s got everything to do with it.

I’ve heard from friends and colleagues lately that they are seeing more disengaged employees than ever before. Dubbed “The Walking Dead” by many management experts, these are the employees who are just going through the motions. They do the absolute minimum that they have to do just to get by. I’m willing to bet that you pictured a co-worker or team member when you read that last sentence. Yep, we all know at least one person who is burnt out, checked out, and pooped out. And yet, he or she is still taking up space on the job. (Hopefully it’s not you!)

The sad part about all of this is that disengaged workers were usually once engaged, enthusiastic, productive workers. So why do they become so discouraged? Disengagement typically begins with a change in the work – whether it’s a new boss, assignments, a change in work location, or being overwhelmed with extra duties, etc. There are a variety of reasons why people check out.

More commonly people get disengaged because they get little or no support from their leaders. My friend and colleague was telling me recently that she is nearing the point of burn out because although she’s been pulling extra weight for quite some time and doing a great job, she gets no acknowledgement, appreciation or recognition from her boss.

As  leaders, we all need to be concerned about disengaged employees. Why? Because disengaged employees eat into your organization’s bottom-line, while breaking the spirits of co-workers. Disengaged workers are much more likely to:

• Be less productive
• Have an accident
• Cause errors
• Have an absenteeism and/or tardiness problem
• Provide poor customer service

Okay, before I get you totally depressed, let’s talk about what you can do as a leader to prevent disengagement, and maybe even re-engage those on their way to the check-out counter.

• Show some love! – Let your team members know how much you appreciate their efforts. A little bit of recognition goes a long way.
• Treat employees as individuals – A one-size-fits-all approach to leadership just won’t cut it. Honor individuality and results, not the process or how they arrived at the results.
• Create a greenhouse for your employees to grow – It is vital that team members have opportunities to continue to learn and develop their skills.
• Make employees partners – Clue them in to the big picture. Let them know the rationale behind what they are doing so that they can take pride and ownership in their work.
• Pay attention to top performers – They are always the first to leave if they become discouraged. Acknowledge their efforts. Sometimes just having you notice that they did their job with pride is enough to reignite them.  
• Deal with poor performers quickly – Stop the spread of the “disease” before it gets to your top performers. When a leader ignores the poor performance of one worker, the morale of others is affected.
• Respect employees –What you do as a leader is like a boomerang. It will always come back to you. If you treat people with respect, you’ll likely be treated the same way, and vice versa.

You as a leader have tremendous impact on those around you. Just letting team members see that you’re concerned about them may be enough to reignite their enthusiasm and get them Fired Up!