No matter the economic or employment climate, the need for professional development is a given. For a professional in any management capacity, part of that development should involve gaining an 
understanding of the work that your subordinates do on a daily basis.
That idea has already crossed over into popular culture with the airing of the CBS reality series, “Undercover Boss,” in which corporate executives go undercover to one of their local offices and do the work of the people on the ground.
