Lifestyle

60 seconds with Larry O’Donnell

For the new CBS show “Undercover Boss,” which premieres Sunday, you posed as an employee at your own firm, working in a landfill, cleaning portable toilets, working on a residential garbage truck. Was any one task particularly challenging?

The one that was most surprising was the recycling-line job [sorting items on a conveyor belt]. That was really a challenge. You can’t look down right at the belt. If you do that, your brain plays a trick on you and you start feeling like you’re on the conveyor belt and the recyclables are on a table and you’re the one moving. You start to feel like you’re going to throw up.

What were some things that changed at your company as a result of the show?

Walter, the guy I worked with as I picked up trash at the landfill, has been on dialysis for 20 years, and he told me how he didn’t pay attention to the warning signs of high blood pressure earlier in his life. The more I talked to him, I wanted him to help others. He’d always wanted to do that, but he didn’t know how. So we’ve given him some training, and now we’re taking him around to talk to our employees about how important it is to know your health numbers and to watch for various warning signs.

What prompted you to participate in the show in the first place?

I spend a lot of time in the field, but when I’m out there I’m showing up as the president. This was an opportunity to really see what’s working and what’s not. It gave me a whole different perspective.

What did you get from the experience?

I better appreciate the impact my decisions can have with the front-line folks who really do the tough jobs. And from a personal standpoint, my big takeaway was how truly blessed I am. I have a great family, great employees that truly care about this company. And I’ve been fortunate in my career. That really hit me while I was out doing these jobs.