Undercover Boss E-Book

Stephen Lambert

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 312

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

"For a popular television series, Undercover Boss has an unusual knack for raising deep and weighty questions."
—Forbes

On February 7, 2010 the CBS television series Undercover Boss USA premiered to a staggering 38.6 million viewers, the largest post-Super Bowl audience for a new series and the most-watched premiere episode of any reality series in the history of television.

Now, for the first time, the bosses and employees featured on Undercover Boss share the lessons they learned as well as the formative experiences that resulted from being on the show. Show creators and executive producers Stephen Lambert and Eli Holzman reveal how they came up with the idea for the show, how they got a major network on board, and of course, how they found a dynamic, charismatic group of bosses willing to go undercover—on camera—in this thoroughly new experiment.

Featuring all-new interviews and insights with the bosses and employees of the nine businesses featured on Season 1 of the show, as well producers' notes on what you didn't see behind the scenes, this book is a must-have for fans of the show everywhere.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Introduction

SORTING THROUGH THE GARBAGE

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

WINGS, WOMEN, AND BEER

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

AN AMERICAN LOVE AFFAIR

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

TIME TO GET PERSONAL

THE COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

LOOKING FOR FULFILLMENT

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

WHAT RICHES CAN’T BUY

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

TROUBLES DOWN THE DRAIN

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

HIS COMPANY

HIS STORY

HE REVEALS THE TRUTH

SINCE THE SHOW

GO UNDERCOVER IN YOUR OWN COMPANY

Acknowledgments

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

PHOTO CREDITS

Copyright © 2011 by Studio Lambert USA, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lambert, Stephen.

Undercover boss : inside the TV phenomenon that is changing bosses and employees everywhere / Stephen Lambert, Eli Holzman. p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-470-91600-1 (hardback); ISBN 978-0-470-93982-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-0-470-93983-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-0-470-93984-0 (ebk)

1. Supervision of employees—United States. 2. Supervisors—United States. 3. Management—United States. 4. Reality television programs—United States. I. Holzman, Eli. II. Title.

HF5549.12.L35 2010

658.3’02—dc22

2010039870

For Ron Scalera 1960 -2010

INTRODUCTION

The pitch for Undercover Boss was our first as Studio Lambert. We had come together a few weeks earlier to form a new television production company in the United States. Six months before that, Stephen had launched the business in the United Kingdom. It was late 2008, just as the recession had hit and television advertising revenues had collapsed, but despite the tough economic times, we were optimistic. Now, after all the dreamy talk around the kitchen table in Eli’s Venice Beach apartment, we were finally going out to sell a show. Or at least try to.

The broadcast and cable network buyers in Los Angeles hear dozens of pitches every day. The overwhelming majority are rejected—not to your face, but in the after-pitch feedback to your agent. They are the smart ones wearing ties and dark suits who patiently attend all pitches and then try to hustle a deal afterwards. Usually this means listening to endless euphemisms for no: “We like the idea, but we just don’t think it will connect with our demo.” “We tried that kind of idea recently, but the focus group numbers killed it.” “We’re looking for something bigger, noisier, more special.” To have any chance of making a sale, you have to fall in love with your idea. You then have to convey that love with every fiber of your body. Then you need to have a thick skin. And luck.

The idea for our show started in the United Kingdom in 2008, when British Airways opened its new $6 billion terminal at Heathrow. It was a disaster. Thousands of families heading on vacation faced chaos after the prestigious terminal was reduced to a shambles on its opening day by the complete failure of its baggage system. The beleaguered chief executive of BA, Willie Walsh, was hounded by news reporters. Someone from the Times asked, “ ‘When was the last time he travelled as a punter [paying customer],’ exposing himself to the kind of service that led one angry passenger on the day that T5 opened to remark: ‘People like us that are treated like cattle, as usual, by British Airways’? ‘As a punter on BA?’ said Walsh. ‘I can’t because people in BA recognise me.’ ”