I don't usually comment on a TV show...

I should be getting to bed, I have a sleeping baby after all, but I feel compelled to write this now. And while I know that I only have a handful of people who might read this, and I don’t like to blog about TV shows (I mean I could be doing other things instead... right) , I still feel like this should be said.

Like most Americans I watched the superbowl this evening and decided to continue to watch the channel once the game was over. What was on was a reality type show about bosses who go into their workplaces (in the trenches, so to speak) and take a look at what goes on there. I am sure you can watch “Undercover Boss” on the CBS web-sight if ya have the desire/time - ha

So there were a few things that struck me as I was watching. And I am sure that Steve and I would have had quite the conversation afterwards about it... maybe that’s why I feel compelled to write, because he is at work and I can’t really talk to him about it now... LOL

First thing that I thought was how commendable for these bosses... owners/COO’s/ and the like... to go out and get in the business and do what their employees do! Coming from the jobs I have had, I have always thought that it is in the best interest of the ‘boss’ to be with workers and to do what they do from time to time. It keeps the boss in check with the employees and it helps the employees to know that their boss isn’t just sitting in an office administrating. So kudos to the bosses!

The man on tonight was the owner and COO of Waste Management, one of the most prominent waste collectors in the country. This guy went out and did the jobs that WM is known for and he worked hard. He actually struggled with a couple of the tasks. As he was talking to the employees that were ‘training’ him he was hearing their personal stories and he was touched. He was touched by how hard they work, the struggles with family and life outside work, and the struggles that their particular jobs presented them. So this guy didn’t just go in there say ‘hi and bye’ and be done, he did something about the problems he saw. How cool!!

As someone who has been in a manager position, it struck me that the COO that was on tonight hadn’t ‘gone up thorough the ranks’ so to speak, he hadn’t ever done any of this and it was all new to him. [Insert jaw drop here.] I know that a lot of owner/operators of CFA’s (where I did play manager a bit) don’t get to that position by coming up through the ranks, but I do know that CFA does like to appoint most of these people from ones that have been there and know the ins and outs of CFA.

I appreciate, again that he got out there and saw what many of the jobs at WM were and did them. I appreciate that the employees that were working with him were made to feel comfortable enough to open up and share with a stranger their personal lives and their struggles in the job. But I think what struck me the most was that the COO did something about his time in the trenches. I think it will not only make the lives of the employees better and easier to do their jobs, but he has a new perspective of the decisions he makes as owner and COO, he will think about what he asks and how he will implement policies. I only hope that this is a starting point for a lot of ‘bosses’ and they do get out and see what it’s like for the people who work for them.