By now you have probably seen — or at least heard of — the new CBS show Undercover Boss. What a great idea! A CEO of a company goes undercover to work alongside employees to learn how they feel about their job and the company, all while looking for efficiencies and ways to better the organization.

In many ways, I like the idea. I like the fact that many executives are discrediting the common thought that “upper management” doesn’t care about front-line employees as long as money is coming in. In most of the episodes so far, the executives that are under cover end up connecting to the employees on a personal level.

While the thought behind Undercover Boss is great, it is not rocket science, either. We do not need a television crew following us around as we “go undercover” and spend some time in the trenches.

Front-line employees are the lifeblood of any organization. In most cases, they are the only people customers see. That’s why it’s so important that our employees come to work every day with passion and purpose. If they’re not, we are failing as managers.

It is our responsibility to make sure our companies are profitable and growing. Our profits are not only dependent on the products and services we offer, but also the people we employ and train to work directly with our customers. They are the ones communicating and connecting with prospective homebuyers. In many ways, our customers are purchasing from us because they trust what our employees are telling them. Think about that. That’s a significant factor in home building.

So, let me pose a few questions to you. How well do you know your employees? Would you know if one of your sales reps had a tough weekend moving out of her home because her husband lost his job? Would you know if a worker’s son is having a tough time in school and your employee was up all night tutoring him?

What do you know?

I bet you know their sales numbers or how much money they are making or not making the company. I bet you know if they were late for work this morning. There isn’t anything wrong with that. After all, managing our employees is part of the job. As managers, however, we are not doing ourselves any good by ignoring or not wanting to know what is happening with our staff on a personal level.

Let me ask another question. Would you be willing to put an employee out on the sales floor if you knew that she had a long and stressful night because she learned that her home was being foreclosed on? What frame of mind do you think that person is in? What frame of mind would you be in?

I’m not suggesting that we need to go to work tomorrow and start a get -to-know-your-employees campaign. I am suggesting, however, that we spend a little time every week learning something about our workers. Let’s not only get to know more about who they are, but also what their goals are within our organization. Let’s pick their brains for ideas on how we can make things better. Schedule a stand up meeting and ask people to share something about themselves. Schedule a one-on-one with a different employee once a week or as often as you can.

The next time you are walking through the sales floor, customer service office or design studio, stop by and ask someone how his or her weekend was. Maybe ask if he or she has any plans for the upcoming weekend. Show interest. If you notice someone appears to be out of sorts, call him or her in and let the person know you are available if he or she needs to talk. Just knowing a manager cares can prompt a lot of workers to open up.

I leave you with this: Go make a connection with an employee today. Who knows, you may learn something about that person that you can harness to make your organization better. Best of all, you won’t need to go undercover to learn it.

Brian Nelson is Senior Client Service Manager with AVID Ratings, the leading provider of customer loyalty research and consulting to the home-building industry. Through the AVID system, homebuilders improve referrals, reduce warranty costs, and strengthen their brands. He can be reached at brian.nelson@avidratings.com.