How not to let your business be like a game of “telephone”...

It is probably one of the most referenced childhood games and I just cannot resist using the analogy myself. In the game of telephone, one person whispers a secret word or phrase to the next and this continues until the last person announces what they heard as the secret. Of course, their announcement usually is not even close to what the first person whispered. The core message is lost in the communication through the filters. Clearly, this is a great analogy for business communications and it is understandable why it is used so often. I bring it up because I think it is also the foundation of a new television show, which I like very much, called the Undercover Boss.

If you haven’t seen it, the premise of the show is to take a corporation’s CEO and make them an entry-level employee for a week. This is accomplished by disguising the CEO as an unemployed person trying different jobs for a documentary. During the course of the week, the CEO fills five different jobs within their company. At no time is the CEO allowed to reveal his identity though the senior management is made aware of the undercover operation. It is usually messy and enlightening. At the end of the week, the various employees the CEO encountered are called to the home office and the reveal occurs. As a part of the reveal, the CEO addresses the issues that were uncovered and recognizes the hidden gems that were discovered. I will admit some doubters might think the situations are staged, and they very well could be, however there are still some great messages to be learned.

So, how does this tie in to the game of telephone and why do I think all of it important for business acumen? I am glad you asked.  One of the resounding themes in the show is that messages and policies that come from the corporations’ executives don’t always get translated the way they are intended once they reach the front line. The Hooters manager pushes way past the line of acceptability in the manner he treats the “Hooter Girls,” countless perishable products are wasted at a 7-Eleven store instead of being donated to a local charity, driver productivity comes at the expense of treating female employees with respect at Waste Management – the CEO’s certainly didn’t intend these situations to occur but yet they did and probably still do across corporations world-wide. It is incumbent on us to make sure we understand the impact of our decision at every level AND that our message is communicated as intended. The two are expressly linked and only our attention to these details will ensure the success of our endeavors.

Easy for me to say? I say easy for everyone to do! Think of your employees as your customers. After all, they are your stakeholders too. To help with the process, here are some tips on gaining the knowledge of an “Undercover Boss” without the pitfalls of “Telephone:”

• Host events such as “Roundtable Lunch with the Executive” which can be a regularly scheduled lunch where the executives can interact with the front line employees. These lunches should offer a forum for honest feedback on policies from the employees while the executives get the opportunity to explain the underlying reasons. For larger companies, employees and executives can be rotated based on chosen discussion topics.

• Create a CEO blog and/or forums – this can be a great avenue for the CEO to promote his directions and messages IF it is done consistently and with a respectful tone.

• Regularly survey the employees. Find out what is working and what isn’t. Go further and discover the underlying reasons and address them. Show results to get results!

In the end, you must have the self-awareness to understand what you say and what is heard will be different. This self-awareness will heighten your business acumen. For more information about Undercover Boss, the show’s website is: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/ . If you have any ideas for improved executive-employee communications please share them! We are all trying to find our successes together.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”