
The Common MistakesĪlmost all bosses make the same mistakes. Most of the time they slow down the processes considerably, and quite a number of bosses undercover have been fired for failing to perform. These are the jobs that the CEOs have to manage, but it usually turns out that they have little knowledge of the actual tasks. However, in other jobs, they also get down and dirty. I was particularly impressed, for example, with the CEO of Synagro, a waste management company, who had to enter a half-filled sewage tank to swish the sh*t into the drain (US Season 2 Episode 28). Processing food, serving food, cleaning rooms, fixing cars, selling products, typing data, etc. The jobs are usually frontline jobs far away from management. There are even two automotive companies (Hyundai and Isuzu, UK season 5 episode 3 and season 4 episode 4), although they unfortunately do not look at the manufacturing. may see this as a way for additional publicity, but there is also other industries like food processing and waste management. Hotels, restaurants, fitness centers, etc. The companies featured on Undercover Boss come from all parts of industry, although the service industry is more often featured than others. If it is passport size, then the company is more important than the manager, whereas the full-page images clearly state that the company is only second to the CEO. By the way, a good test is to look at the size of the CEO photo in the annual report. If I would have to choose, I’d rather take a manager that knows his limits. But, of course, there are also bosses who think that the sun shines out of their every orifice, and that that they know everything and can do everything. Some have the look of a rabbit staring at the snake, although a well-kept secret of managers is that most of them feel overwhelmed with the decisions they have to make, and they try hard not to show their fear. Contrary to the “All Top Executives are Evil” attitude sometimes found in the media, many of them are actually trying to do good within their means. Nevertheless, through body language and behavior their character shows through. For example, I have not yet seen a choleric boss, but they surely must be out there. The bosses, of course, know that they are on camera and probably behave differently than in real life. But who are these bosses? Let’s meet ’em up close and personal!.


In any case, it is a nice opportunity to watch top management in action from the comfort of your own living room. I also believe that some of the worst scenes that could seriously damage the brand, the company, or the boss are cut out, but there are still enough meaty situations left.

And, in other cases, the reasons for selection are not known. Other bosses also opt to go to the worst-performing sites to see what is going wrong, or to the oldest or newest location (also valid approaches in my opinion). Some bosses opt to go to the best-performing sites/employees to see what they are doing right (a good approach). For example, the positions they work in and the employees they work with are selected beforehand. Naturally, as in most reality shows, there is some control over the situations. Afterward, the employees the boss worked with come together, believing that they have to judge the “contestant.” Instead, the boss reveals his or her true identity, and hands out rewards for good employees or punishments for the not-so-good ones. In any case, the boss has a cover story explaining the cameras. The employees the boss works with think he or she is a contestant on a reality show trying to start his or her own business, or is part of a documentary.
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The tasks are usually manual labor or customer handling, occasionally with a bit of data entry added. In each episode, a top executive works for five to ten days undercover in his or her own company, each day at a different job.
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Undercover Boss is a TV reality show that started in the UK in 2009 and now has successful spin-offs in USA, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Spain, with more countries in the pipeline. So, Why do bosses all make the same mistake? Will they ever learn? Will you enjoy this post? See for yourself in the post below!. It is a typical case of not going to the shop floor often enough, or in lean speak, no genchi genbutsu (Japanese for “go and see”).

Over and over again I see these managers making the same mistake: They have no understanding whatsoever of what is really happening on the front lines. I occasionally watch the reality show Undercover Boss, where top executives work undercover in their own companies.
