The CBS TV show “Undercover Boss” garnered local attention in March 2010, when Joel Manby, CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, was tapped to appear incognito. The premise behind the show is pretty basic: Company leaders disguise themselves and work alongside employees at various company divisions to learn more about processes that work – or don’t work – and to get to know more about their employees.
The show’s episodes now have been translated into book form, with “Undercover Boss” by Stephen Lambert and Eli Holzman, with Mark Levine, published in late 2010. Lambert is CEO of Studio Lambert, and Holzman is president and co-founder of Studio Lambert USA.
I’ll admit that I watched this show even before learning that Manby would be a featured boss. I enjoyed how the show gave viewers an inside view to the inner workings of some well-known businesses. In addition to Manby, other featured executives included leaders at Hooters of America, 7-Eleven and White Castle. It was sometimes funny – and sometimes painful – to see how out of touch c-level executives were about their companies’ policies, products and people. And, to be sure, there were also touching moments, such as when the undercover boss would learn about some of the employees’ struggles, and it was clear that the executive was working hard to keep it together. Probably my favorite part of the show came at the end, when the bosses revealed their true identities and talked with their employees about how much they appreciated them, and in some cases, what they were going to do to help them overcome struggles at work or home. Among the assistance offered was scholarships, opportunities for advancement and help with child care or other financial issues.
What’s neat about the book version of “Undercover Boss” is that it goes beyond what viewers saw on the show. Readers can learn how and why different bosses were chosen. Manby, for example, was attractive for the role because of Herschend Family Entertainment’s numerous properties – these include, of course, Branson’s Silver Dollar City – and because he actually never worked in any of the company’s amusement parks before becoming CEO. There also are new interviews with the bosses and employees, tidbits that viewers didn’t see, updates about featured employees and producer’s notes. For instance, it turns out that Manby apparently kept the uniforms he wore for “Undercover Boss” so he can use them to visit HFE’s properties in disguise and keep what he’s learned in mind.
The book covers much of the same ground that the TV show did, but I enjoyed the extras as well as the chance to learn about companies that I missed seeing on the shows. Sprinkled throughout the book are pictures from the show, as well as quotes from the business leaders that showcase just a few of the nuggets of knowledge gleaned.
Some readers will find this book purely recreational, and it is a fun, quick read. It will also work, however, for those who want to learn more about how businesses operate.
Features Editor Maria Hoover may be reached at mhoover@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]
