I’m quickly becoming a fan of the NBC show “Undercover Boss.” If your not familiar with the show, each week a CEO goes undercover to work the front lines of their business, in the quest to understand the process of what’s working and what’s not. What they find, is everyday hard working folk that make the touchpoints of their brands to the customer. The CEO’s are surprised and often moved by the stories they find out in the field. Yes, this makes for good television, but also makes for some good business insight.

Brains On Fire has a new client—Capital Communications Federal Credit Union in Albany, NY. Their CEO is Paula Stopera; an insightful, personal leader. The first time I met Paula was at a monthly company-wide breakfast meeting. Paula took the microphone, walking the floor engaging her employees in a session called “Ask the CEO.” Watching “Undercover Boss” made me reflect on Paula, could she go undercover at Capital Communications Credit Union? My guess is No!

So as Heather Hough and I were wrapping up a presentation to the Capital Communications team, I asked her that very question. She laughed and she said “the other morning I came in the door on my way to my office… it took me 26 minutes. I chatted with employees about work, kids, dogs, you name it.” Paula would have liked to get to her desk 23 minutes sooner but that’s part of her day, everyday— because she’s the accessible CEO.

Paula is a lot like our CEO Robbin Phillips, Robbin has an investment in the success of our company but she also has an investment in “us as people.” In my opinion knowing that Robbin will always stop and listen to an idea, a problem, a laugh… makes all the difference in the world.

I’ve got friends in all the right places,
I know what they want and I know they don’t want me to stay.
– from Manchester Orchestra

I’ve been sitting back digesting the latest Edleman Trust Barometer. The study instantly created a lot of buzz about America’s Trust Deficit in social media. America’s trust has been eroding with companies, it’s advertising, and now it appears “friends” are the next level of America’s trust deficit.

But let’s back up… have I lost trust in my social media friends; in virtual landscapes like Facebook and Twitter? Or more importantly have I lost trust in my “friends” you know, those folks you’ve got real connections with… face-to-face or by sharing conversations in an online community I care about?

My take… do I trust my friends 20% less than I did a year ago? NO!

In the mad rush for numbers (friends, and sadly fans) brands, celebrities, and us ‘regular folk’ have made it all about the follow… what happened to the journey.?

In doing this we’ve made opting-in to communities, fan pages, personal pages easy, and meaningless.

I’ll close with another line from the song I’ve got friends in all the right places. “I know what I need… I need it quickly!” Boy isn’t that the truth.

If I’m sitting in a meeting, or an airplane, or at dinner… I’m usually doodling. I’ve kinda refined my doodle’s to be a personal gathering spot for ideas, reflection, and fears. Last week I was traveling with Robbin Phillips to Austin, Texas and she spied on one my doodles. Robbin thought it was worth posting.

This particular doodle is a continuous doodle thought…

Exact time date and details to come.

In the meantime, check out the site.

I don’t know about you, but I have a nostalgic love for the ringing of a dinner bell. I guess it came from childhood television shows and my mom screaming for me to come home from playing to eat.

For me, growing up the dinner table was of course a place to eat, but it was also a time for fellowship, sharing stories, laughing - and sometimes getting in trouble. I had a bad habit growing up of hiding food that I didn’t want to eat. Boy I thought I was smart, but of course it’s hard to fool a mom.

So let’s ring the dinner bell - Don’t waste your time setting the table for your customers, if your not going to sit down and eat with them!

We’re all getting great at sitting the table: inviting customers to step up to the table to share, engage, etc., but do we really break the bread with customers - or for that matter - our employees?

This thought came into my head on a recent get-to-know the client meeting. I was invited to attend the 2010 kick-off for our new client (a financial services institution) in New York. But I quickly realized that I was witnessing something remarkable - an entire company filling a meeting room up at a hotel having breakfast and conversation as the management engaged them in their 2009 successes and their opportunities in 2010. These folks genuinely care for each other!

This was amplified after I found out later that the CEO has breakfast regularly with employees one on one. I found this remarkable, because far too many CEOs work in a fishbowl and never leave it to sit down with the everyday folk.

So what’s the point? In the case of our new client, their internal family culture creates a culture of service for their customers… who they consider part of the family.

It’s great that we’re getting all this feedback through social media channels, but nothing beats sitting down and having dinner with your employees and your customers. Our client’s CEO does it right. Inviting an employee to breakfast levels the playing field. It speaks volumes to openness, and to listening.