- Some CEOs are moonlighting as frontline workers to root out problems.
- Uber's CEO became a delivery driver and Starbucks' CEO worked in stores alongside baristas.
Some CEOs are moonlighting as frontline workers to root out problems plaguing their workforce.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi secretly signed up as a driver last year, transporting dozens of passengers and deliveries around San Francisco. He later said he did it to better understand the challenges facing Uber's drivers, as the company faced a shortage of those workers.
When Laxman Narasimhan took over as CEO of Starbucks this year, he shared a similar experiment: he would work in stores alongside baristas on a monthly basis.
Both chief executives have shared takeaways from their frontline work.
Khosrowshahi told The Wall Street Journal that he was surprised by some customers' rude behavior and he discovered a few technical issues with the app, which he later sought to fix.
Narasimhan said in an earnings call this week that he learned the company needed to buy cheaper cups and slash the number of lid-and-cup combinations.
If you think your CEO should spend a day in your role, tell us why — and what they might learn from the exercise — in this survey.