A retail veteran explains two types of bosses: ‘There are managers and then there are leaders’

When times get tough, store manager Whitney Stewart gets in the trenches with her staff. 

Just last week when an assistant manager was sick and the rest of her management staff was “getting burnt out,” Stewart worked seven days straight to help pick up the slack. 

“I know now that they can see that I’m in this same boat with them,” she told LinkedIn.

Stewart is the manager at the Michael’s arts and crafts store in San Luis Obispo, California. Prior to landing the head role at that Michael’s branch this past summer, she worked in managerial roles at a handful of stores over the span of 13 years, including Lowe’s and Target. 

During that decade-plus in management, she’s appreciated helping staff members develop and building relationships with them, she says.

“Contrary to what a lot of people think, there’s a lot more to being a manager than just showing up and unlocking the doors to the building,” Stewart says, as she explained what the ideal manager looks like.

[Editor's notes: quotes are lightly edited for clarity]

The two types of managers

In 2018, Adam Reich and Peter Bearman, two sociologists at Columbia University, published a book based on interviews with over 100 Walmart employees across the U.S. What the co-authors found is that what the retail workers most wanted most was, “to be treated more respectfully by their bosses, to have more say in managing their schedules and prioritizing their duties, and to be granted small freedoms that they’re often denied,” Columbia Magazine's preview of the book reads.

Stewart knows what feeling that lack of respect is like. She recalls a manager who wasn’t invested in employees and passed on the hardest work to team members. On the other hand, she’s also worked with a manager who took her under his wing, and helped her become a team leader herself.

Her experiences have taught her about what she calls the two types of managers.

“There are managers and then there are leaders,” Stewart says. “Managers will just be there to get the job done, no investment in the team, no appreciation, just get the job done. Leaders will work alongside the team, develop the team, strengthen the team and appreciate them. The difference between the two? One will get long-term results and one will get right-now results.”

One of the most important long-term results is the progress of team members that managers lead. Stewart shares a story about one of her own former team members to help illustrate that point.

“He was a team member that none of the management team liked,” she says. “He had an attitude and did not care.” But when Stewart took over this employee’s department, she was able to unlock a motivation that helped him along the path to promotion within a year. 

It all started with a conversation.

“I learned from one of my first managers, who’s now my mentor, to always ask questions: Do they know the ‘why’ behind why we do things? What do they enjoy about their job? And can I capitalize on that? I try and get to know them so they can see that I’m investing in them as a person,” Stewart says. “The ones that probably won’t work out are the ones who don’t receive it.”

Of course, there are many employees who she has struggled to motivate. That’s because just as she believes there are two different types of managers, she also believes there are also two types of employees. 

The responsibility of team members

While Stewart believes in the power of caring for and investing in team members, she also is sure to note that the responsibility for performance is shared. “They [staff members] have to want to be better,” she says.

If you’re a “don’t care” employee, as Stewart calls them, there is not much she can do. 

“The don’t cares come in to work and show up and get by doing the basics of their job,” she said. “It’s much easier to develop the ones who want into something more.”

The are specific signs that help managers identify which bucket employees fall into.

“I have a team member now who checks in with me every time he finishes a task and asks, ‘what else can I do?’ Whereas the other side will fly under the radar by getting the basic day-to-day tasks and will not check in. At least until it’s time to clock out,” Stewart says. 

“When there’s an opportunity to learn something new they will do whatever to get out of it.”

Just as she has stories about different managers, Stewart also has stories of “don’t cares,” one of whom is an assistant manager she had to let go. This story also began with a conversation about weaknesses, but didn’t end with a promotion.

“I gave her ways to turn them into strengths, but she chose to continue to do the same thing that wasn’t working. That resulted in the failure of her team’s workload, and in the end a miserable team… It’s not always a perfect ending in every story, unfortunately.”

Do you agree with Stewarts idea about the types of employees and managers? Do you have similar stories? Share your thoughts in the comments below.