In 1999, the world watched with great anticipation as the first episode of Big Brother aired. From these humble beginnings a new genre of television was born: Reality TV! Skip ahead to 2010 and take a look at the Nielson Ratings. For the week of March 30, three of the top four shows on major networks included: American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and Undercover Boss. Scroll a little further and you find The Amazing Race, Survivor and the Biggest Loser. It seems our voyeuristic curiosity simply can’t get enough of this reality TV thing. Fortunately these top rated shows carry with them a fairly positive message; people trying to overcome the odds to win a contest, get healthy or become a superstar. Not all reality shows follow this positive template and there are plenty of reasons to be critical of this form of entertainment.
MTV’s popular show Jersey Shore certainly appeals to the darker side. It receives ongoing criticism for perpetuating Italian-American stereotypes. The President of the National Italian American Foundation, Andre DiMino, has stated that he finds the show offensive. Linda Stasi, an Italian-American columnist who works for the New York Post has also been critical of the show. She feels that producers at MTV are stereotypically portraying Italian-Americans as gel-haired, thuggish, ignoramuses with fake tans, no education and no ambition. Nevertheless, cast members have gained celebrity status and the show is popular enough for MTV to continue on with a second season.
Reality TV is here to stay and for the most part, the shows can be entertaining. At times they can even provide insight into leadership. For example, this week’s episode of Undercover Boss highlighted Roto-Rooter President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Arquilla. Apparently Rick didn’t really know that working for his company is a hard and dirty business. It didn’t take him long to figure that out once he got into the field and crawled under a house to snake a drain clogged with raw sewage. To give Rick credit, he really took his experience to heart and learned a lot about himself and his employees. This first-hand experience at the front lines is something more leaders should experience.
This particular episode also highlighted the fact that leadership is not necessarily tied to your title. One of the employees who really stood out at Roto Rooter was a field technician named Henry. He is the one who helped his undercover boss Rick with the clogged drain under a house. Once they found the problem, Henry informed the elderly lady that the repair was going to cost $1,200! The woman seemed devastated at the news and clearly she didn’t have that kind of money. Henry thought it over and decided to do the job for far less. At first boss man Rick seemed a little shocked at the discount, but he soon remembered that Henry works on commission and was literally taking money out of his own pocket to help this woman.
After the job was done, Henry started going through the messages on his phone. It appears Henry is the go to guy for questions. He returned one call after another to fellow field technicians who needed help on a variety of jobs. Did we mention that after work Henry and his wife coached a youth basketball team? Rick Arquilla may be the Chief Operating Officer for Roto Rooter, but he is not the only leader within that company. Henry reminds us that leadership and titles do not always go hand in hand. Every organization has informal leaders and it is important to cultivate and support their growth. When times get tough, these are your go-to people, the ones you can rely on.
Remember that not all reality TV is created equal. Sure Snooki can take a punch, and you can learn a thing or two about the Jersey Shore club scene from watching JWoww, Pauly D on MTV, but the Surgeon General should consider warning people that this show might actually lower your intelligence. If you are looking for some entertainment that might actually teach you something about leadership, other reality TV shows seem to have something to offer. So keep the remote handy and be weary when the new guy shows up for his first day on the job with a camera crew. You may be the next reality superstar!
Leadership Advice 