Earth to boss: having an “out of office experience” will result in a Positive Image.

What is it about the CBS hit, Undercover Boss that we all love so much? My theory: it’s an hour of prime time anger management therapy. There is guilty pleasure in seeing the boss “get his.” Sure, there’s some element of staged drama there. How could the employees not know something’s up when the new guy is being followed around by a camera crew? But isn’t it justice when we see that the hotel General Manager doesn’t even know how the reservations system works (or fails?) Don’t we love seeing the CEO of a trash company holding his nose at the landfill?

The show generally has a happy ending, and happy endings are good for all of us who are struggling just to fill our gas tank, right? Invariably the head honcho’s experience shows him that folks in the trenches have some good ideas -- maybe even more efficient ideas --that will result in profit and a more Positive Image for the company. I sometimes tear up a bit when I see these guys reward their employees and make changes based on what they learned.

But most of us turn off the tube and go to bed skeptical that it could happen where we work. We go to our jobs Monday morning doubting anyone will listen, and by 8:15 our fears are borne out. We’re back at it slaving for a team of managers so married to their own ideas, they talk without taking a breath. Taking a breath would give them an opportunity to listen!

Years ago I met a very smart up-and-coming television news producer who was supervised by her anchorman. He was pushy, demanding and not always right. She told me that she finally stood up and said, “Sit down, take a pay cut and produce this show!” He didn’t really get the point but he did shut up for the night. He’s no longer the big guy on TV and she’s now running a large market TV news department in the Northeast. Good for her, bad for him. How about good for everyone? Get in the trenches while you still can.

My last boss talked a good game about “getting in the tank” with the troops, and I loved the idea. He’s a guy who goes out on sales calls and is pretty tuned in not only to the account execs but to the clients as well. So I took that advice. I had several rewarding experiences going along in the field and rolling up my sleeves to do the old “walk a mile in their shoes” thing. The team was amused, appreciative, insightful and not too shy to share some good feedback.

I promise you a rewarding experience if you schedule a day in the trenches. The world will keep turning while you’re out with your team. Don’t worry; your replacement won’t be named while you’re out.

If you supervise any employees and you haven’t had an “out of office experience” in the last 6 months, you’re overdue.

You might be overdue because you’re afraid of the truth. You might learn that some of your technology has too many frustrating and time consuming workarounds. You might learn that you need to coach a middle manager who has bad people skills. You might find an underutilized genius who could make you all look good. Finally, you might get to know your employees as real people, and that’s the most emotionally rewarding part of this exercise.