Employee Engagement through the Eyes of the Boss

No, I’m not talking about The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. I’m referring to the boss of a company or organization, the CEO. I’ve been enamored by the current CBS reality series, Undercover Boss. This series follows high-level chief executives as they slip anonymously into the rank and file of their respective companies. These companies include such corporate giants as Waste Management (Larry O'Donnell, President and C.O.O.), 7-Eleven (Joseph M. DePinto, President and C.E.O.), Hooters (Coby G. Brooks, President and C.E.O.), White Castle (Dave Rife, Owner/Executive Board Member) and Churchill Downs (William C. Carstanjen, C.O.O.).  

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/  

Watching this series has made me ask several important questions regarding Employee Engagement:  

1. If you were the CEO and went undercover, would you find that your employees are engaged with the company?
2. Would you find that they know and understand the mission and core values of the company?
3. Do they have the trust that senior leadership has their best interest in mind?

Each of these should be answered with an emphatic YES, but many employees do not feel that these important questions are being addressed properly for their best interest. 

Joseph DePinto, CEO of 7-Eleven said this “If you are a leader, you must be an example. All your other employees must see you as a role leader. Otherwise, how can you ask them to do a good job, if you are not a good worker yourself? It's a big responsibility." 

In the illustration below, the Mission, Vision, Values and Goals start at the top and must be communicated properly throughout the company or organization or employee engagement and profitability will be an issue. 

Mr. DePinto also said, "Going under cover tells me that we have more work to do. We have great internal programs but they haven’t reached the stores. We have to zero in on what the stores issues are. That’s ultimately what’s going to enable us to put the fixes in place. Every single employee I met was amazing. What we have to do is better support them.” 

So here’s the challenge….Find a way today to engage, inspire, motivate, appreciate and recognize your most valuable asset…your people!