"The toughest job the boss will ever do is your job!" ~~~ Undercover Boss
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| Photo Credit | www.cbs.com |
Yesterday, I saw from my Facebook Newsfeed an article about an employee who trained a new hire in their Company. Since "Training" is a subject very close to my heart, I clicked the link to supposedly learn and know more about training of new hires and to check how the induction and orientation program was being carried out in their company. In less than a minute, I finished reading the 5 short paragraph-article and saw two video clips in the article - a 7.5 minute video clip and another one about 43 minutes. I wanted to skip watching the videos but since it was a weekend, I decided to go for just one, the shorter clip.
It wasn't what I expected. Although the clip covered a story about training, it was more of Angel's story, an Associate at the Modell's Sporting Goods (Apparel Department at Washington, DC).
Angel thought that it was just another regular day at work. She thought she just was training a new associate at Modell’s. She welcomed "Joey", the "new trainee" to the store and taught him the best she can. I saw that Angel was a "passionate" trainer. She may be doing and teaching her regular tasks and duties very casually but you could see the passion in what she was doing. Although she was told that she was being filmed for a documentary, she did not know that it was for the Undercover Boss Reality Show. She didn't suspect a thing. What she didn't know was that the trainee was actually Modell’s CEO Mitchell Modell in disguise. The CEO shaved his head and put on a walrus-like mustache so it would be hard for anyone to recognize him. He even had to change his voice tone.
During one of their conversations, "Joey," told her that he was a former pizza restaurant owner who closed his shop 6 months ago because of competition. He joined a reality show so he can win the prize and start business again. Angel encouraged Joey to have that drive and never to give up. She told Joe her story: “I love this job… but it hasn’t always been this way.” Angel confessed that when she turned 25, she became pregnant and lost her old job as restaurant manager. “We’ve been homeless for a long time. We live in a shelter now,” the single mother said. “It doesn’t matter, though. I don’t want you to feel sad for me.” Joey is brought to tears when Angel gives him a pep talk. He was touched and moved to tears by Angel’s story.
Angel thought that it was just another regular day at work. She thought she just was training a new associate at Modell’s. She welcomed "Joey", the "new trainee" to the store and taught him the best she can. I saw that Angel was a "passionate" trainer. She may be doing and teaching her regular tasks and duties very casually but you could see the passion in what she was doing. Although she was told that she was being filmed for a documentary, she did not know that it was for the Undercover Boss Reality Show. She didn't suspect a thing. What she didn't know was that the trainee was actually Modell’s CEO Mitchell Modell in disguise. The CEO shaved his head and put on a walrus-like mustache so it would be hard for anyone to recognize him. He even had to change his voice tone.
During one of their conversations, "Joey," told her that he was a former pizza restaurant owner who closed his shop 6 months ago because of competition. He joined a reality show so he can win the prize and start business again. Angel encouraged Joey to have that drive and never to give up. She told Joe her story: “I love this job… but it hasn’t always been this way.” Angel confessed that when she turned 25, she became pregnant and lost her old job as restaurant manager. “We’ve been homeless for a long time. We live in a shelter now,” the single mother said. “It doesn’t matter, though. I don’t want you to feel sad for me.” Joey is brought to tears when Angel gives him a pep talk. He was touched and moved to tears by Angel’s story.
The Reward of a Passionate & Engaged Trainer
Angel didn't know she was confessing to the one man who had the power to change everything in the Company. Mitchell was absolutely appalled and struck by Angel’s story. He realized that his company had associates who did not earn much, living in shelters and cannot afford to buy a home.
At the end of the episode, Mitchell revealed to Angel who he was and rewarded her with a $14,000 raise and a tax-free $250,000 check for her to buy a house. Angel was also promoted from being an Associate to Assistant Manager. Angel’s reaction is one of the most powerful one that I’ve seen. The shocking news from the boss caused Angel to collapse.
At the end of the episode, Mitchell revealed to Angel who he was and rewarded her with a $14,000 raise and a tax-free $250,000 check for her to buy a house. Angel was also promoted from being an Associate to Assistant Manager. Angel’s reaction is one of the most powerful one that I’ve seen. The shocking news from the boss caused Angel to collapse.
After watching the video, I felt something rolling down my eyes. It was divine connection that Angel and Mitchell's paths crossed. They met at a time that both needed what the other has to offer. I would believe that it was God's perfect timing.
It was such an inspiring and powerful video that I proceeded to watch the next 43-minute video.
It was such an inspiring and powerful video that I proceeded to watch the next 43-minute video.
The Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss is a two-time Emmy Award-winning reality series that follows high-level executives as they slip anonymously into the rank-and-file of their own organizations. Each week, a different leader will sacrifice the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their operation.
What is the goal of Undercover Boss? It is for the CEOs to know what the employees feel while working for them. If employees have poor behavior, they may even get fired. How about those who are found to be committed and hardworking? They get rewarded!
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| Photo Credit | www.episodedata.com |
About Undercover Boss Reality Show
(Information from TV Tropes)
This primetime Reality Show on CBS follows the top-ranking officials of major American companies and corporations as they go undercover to learn more about the challenges facing their businesses, and meet employees who help them gain a new perspective on working life.
Each episode features a high-ranking executive or the owner of a corporation going undercover as an entry-level employee in their own company. The executives alter their appearance and assume an alias and fictional back-story in order to blend in. The fictitious explanation given for the accompanying camera crew is that the executives are being filmed as part of a documentary about entry-level workers in a particular industry (in the second season, the employees are told the filming is for a contest). They spend approximately one week undercover, working in various areas of their company operations, with a different job and in most cases a different location each day. They are exposed to a series of predicaments with amusing results, and invariably spend time getting to know the people who work in the company, learning about their professional and personal challenges.
At the end of their week undercover, the executives return to their true identity and request the employees they worked with individually to corporate headquarters. The bosses reveals their identity, and reward hard-working employees through campaign, promotion, or financial rewards, while other employees are given training or better working conditions.
Undercover Boss Season 4 Episode 1 (Modell's Sporting Goods)
Aired on November 22, 2012, the premiere episode of Season 4 featured Long Island-raised Mitchell Modell, CEO of Modell's Sporting Goods, one of the nation's largest retail chains in the US.
Modell's approach as "Your Hometown Sporting Goods Store" through local specialized offerings, community relationships, and programs such as Team Weeks, which assists local schools, leagues, and non-profit organizations has made it a very successful company through the years.
Its #1 mission statement is "Listen, Respect, and Respond" to the needs of their customers, associates, and vendors.
CEO of Modell's Sporting Goods, Mitchell Modell
Why the Boss wants to go undercover:
Modell's has always been a successful family owned business, but since his brother and co-CEO passed away, Mitchell has felt much more pressure in running the company. In order to make sure that Modell's stays in the family and continues to grow and expand, Mitchell wants to make sure that the values that have been passed down during the last four generations continue to be passed on for the next 100 years
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| Photo Credit | www.samuel-warde.com Mitchell Modell, CEO, was featured on Season 4 Episode 1 of the Undercover Boss. It was aired on November 2, 2012 |
Watch the full episode of the video to check if the Undercover Boss fulfilled the company's Mission Statement.
This You Tube video is the full episode -----> -----> ---->
Undercover Boss Season 4 Episode 1 - Mitchell as "Joey Glick"
In the video, you will see how he has undergone a transformation to keep his identity under wraps. The video spinned off with the CEO getting some major league advice from New York Yankee's pitcher CC Sabathia before beginning his undercover mission.
As always in "Undercover Boss," the boss has to pretend to be somebody else. So Mitchell shaved his head and pretended to be "Joey Glick," a former pizza restaurant owner competing in a reality show.
As always in "Undercover Boss," the boss has to pretend to be somebody else. So Mitchell shaved his head and pretended to be "Joey Glick," a former pizza restaurant owner competing in a reality show.
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| Photo Credit | www.s.wsj.net Mitchell Modell, the CEO of the 153-store chain Modell’s, shaved his head, donned an oversized walrus mustache and transformed into “Joey Glick,” a worker inside the company’s warehouse and at Modell’s Sporting Goods locations in Washington, DC and Connecticut. |
Job Assignment #1 with James, Assistant Manager
Assistant Manager – Connecticut is a newer market for Modell's and in the Milford location and sales have been continually slipping. Mitchell wants to see if there's anyway to save the store or if it might be time to call it quits. What will happen though, when he finds the store isn't even receiving the proper merchandise?
"Joey's" first assignment was to see why the store in Milford, Connecticutbis under performing . He worked with James, the brutally frank assistant manager. James, called the store the “red-headed stepchild” of Modell’s. The store was understocked and James felt frustrated by upper management’s lack of attention to the problems happening in his store. James confronts Joey when suspicions swell about his true identity.
With James' feedback, Modell got on his cell phone and started complaining to the COO that district managers were not doing their part.
"Joey's" first assignment was to see why the store in Milford, Connecticutbis under performing . He worked with James, the brutally frank assistant manager. James, called the store the “red-headed stepchild” of Modell’s. The store was understocked and James felt frustrated by upper management’s lack of attention to the problems happening in his store. James confronts Joey when suspicions swell about his true identity.
With James' feedback, Modell got on his cell phone and started complaining to the COO that district managers were not doing their part.
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| Screen Grab from You Tube Video |
Job Assignment #2 with Christopher, Shipping Associate
Shipping Associate – In order to make sure Modell's continues to grow, Mitchell is very aware of how every dollar is spent. After being put through the wringer in the shipping department, how will the boss feel when he learns an average weekly paycheck from an associate can barely pay for a new pair of sneakers?
His next assignment was at the Bronx distribution hub where he worked with Christopher, the Shipping Associate. He tried to figure out a forklift with Christopher, who thought Joey was drunk and was drinking all night.
Chris' tip to Joey, when he learned that Joey plans to put up a sports store --- pay your associates fairly and decently. He said that he was only receiving $230 weekly paycheck.
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| Screen Grab from You Tube Video |
Job Assignment #3 with Kirk, Truck Driver
Truck Driver – Mitchell knows that the truck drivers are the key to getting merchandise to the stores but he's quick to realize that without his brother around he's lost the connection and communication with the drivers. Will Mitchell be able to find a way to fix this broken relationship and honor his brother's memory?
His journey in the Bronx led him to his 3rd assignment with a truck driver named Kirk. Kirk thinks of Joey like a clown because he looks funny. yet he thinks of him like a genius. Kirk told Joey that the upper management was clueless. “They only look at the bottom line and when they only look at the bottom line they lose focus of what really happens”
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| Screen Grab from You Tube Video |
Job Assignment #4 with Angel, Apparel Department Associate
Apparel Department, Associate – Mitchell wants all his stores to have a "hometown community sporting goods store" feel and is beyond proud at what he finds in D.C. However, he's shocked to discover a personal struggle greater than he could ever imagine. Can the boss find a way to fix a problem that he may have helped to create?
"Things are gonna get better. You're gonna be fine!" These were the words that broke Joey's heart.
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| Screen Grab from You Tube Video |
What can we learn from the Undercover Boss?
Mitchell Modell's brief "excursion" to the "field" may not have been exhaustive so as to look at the whole problem of the Company but the show clearly portrayed that as the CEO, he actually listened and cared about the concerns of his associates.
We may not be CEO's who live in some Ivory Towers. We don't need to disguise ourselves by shaving our heads and wearing oversized-walrus mustaches just to be able to learn, see and hear what is happening around us. We could be living right at the Concrete Jungle. But have we really taken some time listening and learning how to fix the little problems that happen daily with our customers, associates, and colleagues?
Our Staff and Associates are People, not Numbers!
Managers who strive for harmony between concern for results and concern for employees are more likely to inspire engagement.
So what is the message of the Undercover Boss? Many will think that the CEO's disguise themselves to "catch people doing something wrong" in order to improve the processes in their business. Rather, the message i get is: "catching people doing something right".
In "The One Minute Manager", the author Ken Blanchard originated the concept of of catching people doing something right which is aimed to increase employee engagement. The undercover Boss has clearly aimed at catching people doing something right.
What can we do differently with our customers, associates, and colleagues while struggling it out at the concrete jungle?
- Have a first hand experience with what our customers, associates, and colleagues feel in the job
- Spend more time to get to know them, not just for work related things but personal matters as well.
- Share your ideas and listen to their feedback
- Listen to their ideas and give an honest feedback.
- Come up with possible solutions and action plans to issues and problems
- Appreciate them!
- Value them!
- Develop their potentials and talents.
- Weave and nurture dreams.
It would really be great to "Listen, Respect, and Respond" to the needs of our customers, associates, and colleagues.
It may be an unorthodox way of fixing things at the workplace but it's going to be very effective because it is personal and uses a humane approach!
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