Thread: Which Cruise Line should have its CEO go Undercover?

Awesome Neal, kudos to Southwest All Management should follow their lead

What is interesting, when people refer to Gary Kelley, it is always by first name. Oh yes, he is the one who dressed up as Dorothy for our annual Halloween bask (and last year came as one of the members of ZZ top)

I said RCCL because I hear more complaints from their employees about working conditions than on all other cruise lines combined. I don't know if any are justified, but it would be good for the ceo to hear uncensored.

Originally Posted by timwilloughby

Even better: competitor's CEOs go to other companies.....oooh. controversy sells ads.

We can work on that series while we work on Undercover Customer. Sheesh if Mark Burnett or Simon Cowell can produce several shows at once so can we. LOL How about another Love Boat series while we're at it.

I agree that all of them should go undercover, or if they're too well known by sight, then send the VP with a video camera.

I also agree with Heather on them going as an undercover customer.

It would be nice if a CEO would try performing all the different job functions. How could a boss know what's involved with a worker's job (what's needed, what are the difficulties, etc.) if he or she doesn't have the slightest idea what it takes to do it.

During the 90s, I worked for a specialty store and the son of the founding couple had worked his way up from go-fer/shipping person to computer repair person to store manager. I think it made a big difference that he worked his way up (compared to the owner's sons that I've had to work with who didn't start at the bottom). Now that his father and stepmother have retired, he runs the whole show. But he can (and has) step in and help out in shipping/receiving, sales, accounting. I was also able to do many of the functions besides my marketing/advertising/book-buying/general assistant type of job -- just couldn't repair the computers as that required training (the repair persons would attend a series of classes for Toshiba, etc., and get a certificate).

Have also worked at a place where MBA types who were joining the firm to be account executives first had to go through the Grey advertising training program, which meant working in the different departments to learn media buying, traffic (my department, which involved scheduling jobs, calculating ad sizes, etc.), research, creative first. They learn what actually is needed to make an ad from start to finish. That way, if the had a client who insisted a full color ad could be produced in three days, they would know enough to explain what the problems doing so would be.

I'm guessing with most cruiselines, it would be easier to pass off the typical cruiseline CEO as a passenger. But still, it would be interesting to find out that the CEO spent a week as a cabin steward, waiter, or bartender.

Patty, I am not sure they could pull off those jobs. There is a certain skill set associated with each that most managers simply do not have.

I agree that all of them could use a dose of what goes on in the day to day operations. But it would be very difficult for a CEO to go undercover as a bar waiter or room steward. Along the same lines middle management could stand to spend some time learning what live is like for the crew as well.
I also like the undercover passenger possibilities. The problem with that is that with Homeland Security rules it is hard to be undercover using your real name.