Pak 1
Lauren Pak
Dr. Tyler Laird Magee
BUSN 301: Management
10/29/2012
Research Paper: Manager Interview and Analysis
Heather McDaniel is the name of the best manager I have ever had. I was fortunate
enough to be hired as a member of her team this summer at Lakeshore. Heather has been a
manager for the past 15 years and her last five have been at Lakeshore where she has been the
store manager and has helped the new store thrive. When asked what the term management
means to her she replied, “Management is all about balance. It is constantly balancing customer
and employee needs with business goals and priorities.” Knowing that one must take each of
these elements into account shows that she has an understanding of employees and customers
within an organizational setting and has a humanistic perspective when managing. (Magee)
Tasks for the business are looked at each month and Heather decides exactly how
important they are to the store by beginning with the highest priority tasks and ranking them. She
also creates business goals based on trends that occur in Lakeshore and with the creation of these
plans she works with her staff to obtain new ideas and input. According to Peter Druker, “Each
of these tasks and dimensions has its own skills, its own tools, it own requirements…(and) total
management requires their integration” (Drucker 34). Heather is aware that when making plans it
requires a variety of skills, which is why she utilizes her staff. They may be stronger at
something than she is, and she is able to recognize that. She knows to establish a clear solid plan,
while still leaving room for flexibility. (Daft and Marcic)
Pak 2
McDaniel said that her, “…main job is to follow up on completion.” This can only be
done through thorough organization which she executes through management meetings and one
on one meetings with her staff. Being an employee these one on one meetings are anything but
intimidating. They are a short conversation which includes the understanding of the day’s goals,
where the business stands today and what the project goal is for the day. This puts everyone on
the same page so that the team can work together to reach the same goal.
Leading her employees by example is how Heather influences others. She, “wouldn’t ask
an employee to do something that (she) cannot or won’t do.” This is a very similar mentality to
the manager at the Numi Organic Tea Company who turned everything around. Both Heather
and the manager at this company posses conceptual, human, and technical skills which is why
they both thrive in their positions. They are able to take in all of the parts of the organization and
have positive relationships with their employees and customers in addition to understanding the
tasks that they ask of each employee. Being able to lead is a powerful managing tool, however
unless paired with the knowledge of control it is useless. Heather controls her many employees
by reviewing tasks and creating conversations. She, “…tries to coach staff when things need
improvement and recognize when goals are met or exceeded.” When these goals are met the
business thrives and the employees either receive bonuses or scratch its. During my short time
with Lakeshore I received multiple scratch-its and a few bonuses because they are given not
based on individual effort but the effort of the team, so everyone can be rewarded extrinsically
for their intrinsic drive. Personally, I found rewarded from just being there working. It made me
happy to know that I was able to help parents and teachers find products that can further the
education of our next generations. The extra money that came with the extrinsic rewards were
like a cherry on top of a really good sundae. (Magee)
Pak 3
The task environment is one that is vital to the company seeing as it works directly with
each element that sustains and interacts with a business such as customers, competitors, suppliers
and the labor market. The customers of Lakeshore consist of parents, teachers, and often a
combination of the two. One may think that sites such as Amazon would take away the
customers of Lakeshore but the company keeps an easy to navigate website and free shipping to
any store. In the Oregon location Lakeshore only has one competitor, Learning Palace. Although
similar materials are sold there, Lakeshore is able to compete with flying colors because, “We
have excellent service and prices. We really go above and beyond for our customers.” It is also
beneficial that Lakeshore makes all of its products. This way the company doesn’t have to rely
on anyone else and they know exactly what is going into their product. Each product is also
tested by kids in the daycares that are offered at many of the stores. (Daft and Marcic 57-64,
Lakeshore)
The type of people that make up the labor market are people who reflect the business and
can be hired for an organization. According to Gary Hamel and Bill Breen for smart companies,
their labor market population is a ‘bozo-free’ zone.
“Google’s leaders believe that one exceptional technologist is many times more
valuable than one average engineer; hence they insist on hiring only the brightest
of the bright…they also believe that if you let one “bozo” in, more will surely
follow” (Breen and Hamel 108).
As harsh as this sounds, it is a way to keep the company at the height of its department. This
mentality is similar to that of Heather’s she is, “…looking for intelligent, well spoken and
outgoing individuals who can work well within (her) team and who believe in outstanding
service.” (Daft and Marcic 64)
Pak 4
The type of people that Heather hires creates the kind of environment that everyone will
be working in and one that the customers will experience and associate with the name Lakeshore.
There are many components which make up the culture of a business, those that can be easily
seen and those that are invisible to anyone who is not an employee of the business. The
Lakeshore Kids are visible symbols of the company. They decorate the walls, the bags, the
product wrapping, even some of the products themselves. The Lakeshore kids are based off of
real children (who are grown up now) who stand as a reminder to why the company exists in the
first place. The Buttless Hippo story is the narrative of a toy hippo that a customer claimed came
without a butt (despite the fact that there were bite marks in the hippo’s hiney). Upon hearing
this one employee opened a new package of animals, taking just the hippo and drove to the
customers house, replacing the toy for free. This story highlights the vision and mission of the
company, to put the customer first. Similar to the Umpqua Bank story, it is this these types of
companies that really make a positive difference and good memories in peoples’ lives. (Daft and
Marcic 71-73)
Ethelyn Kaplan is probably not a familiar name to many people. However to Lakeshore
employees, she is the hero. She is the definition of the culture that defines the business today.
Starting the company in 1954, Lakeshore continues to obtain the same willing to help attitude
many decades later in addition to the slogan, “products designed with learning in mind.”
Although it is a million-dollar company, it is still a family business and is run by her two sons
and two grandsons. (Daft and Marcic 71-73, Lakeshore Learning Packet 3)
Taking the Myers Brigg Test was beneficial to my group so I thought that it would be
interesting to see what type Heather would be classified as so I had her take the test. Her results
were ESFJ, meaning, “People skills, harmonizer, popular, does things for people, good host”
Pak 5
(Daft and Marcic 430). It is interesting to see how this contrasted with my own because I am an
ISFJ meaning, “Quiet conscientious, devoted, handles detail, good conservator” (Daft and
Marcic 430). The results display that we are basically opposites but that is probably why we got
along so well. Our contrasting personalities caused us each to change a little. Since Heather was
so outgoing I tried to match her energy with the customers. Although this was exhausting for me
it was also beneficial because it put me in situations where I was not comfortable and helped my
self-confidence grow. I realized that I could help people and shouldn’t fear striking up a
conversation.
Throughout this entire year I cannot stop my brain from making connections to
Lakeshore and my experience there. Every time without fail I can connect material presented in
class to a situation that occurred at Lakeshore; not only does this prove that what I am learning is
not a waste of time, but it helps to solidify the material in my head. The entire time I was writing
this paper I had to prevent myself from saying ‘we’ when I would talk about Lakeshore. I am so
proud to have been a part of this company that I still associate myself with it. It reminds me of
the “HP Way.” The managers at Lakeshore don’t start the day without all of the staff members
present and they don’t leave without making sure everyone is ready to head out. If an employee
is struggling with a customer, the managers don’t take over but join in the conversation and help.
Then once we’ve found our bearings again leave us on our own so we can grow and learn from
that experience. As stated earlier Heather never asks for anyone to do anything that she has not
done herself, just like the Numi Organic Tea manager. This wonderful style of managing creates
a respectful family-like environment and is one that truly makes me feel like I am a member of
the Lakeshore team. I think that this is the most important thing to take away from this interview;
to lead your employees in such a way that both you and they become part of a team.
Pak 6
Citations:
 Daft, Richard L., and Dorothy Marcic. "Chapter 1: Innovative Management for a
Changing World." Understanding Management. Mason, OH: South-Western, 2013. 9.
Print.
 Daft, Richard L., and Dorothy Marcic. "Chapter 2: The Environment and Corporate
Culture." Understanding Management. Mason, OH: South-Western, 2013. 57-64. Print.
 Daft, Richard L., and Dorothy Marcic. "Chapter 2: The Environment and Corporate
Culture." Understanding Management. Mason, OH: South-Western, 2013. 71-73. Print.
 Drucker, Peter F. "What Is Management: The Dimensions of Management." People and
Performance: The Best of Peter Drucker on Management. New York: Harper's College,
1977. 34. Print.
 Hamel, Gary, and Bill Breen. "Part II:Management Innovation in Action." The Future of
Management. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School, 2007. 108. Print.
 Lakeshore Learning Packet. History of Lakeshore. N.p.: Lakeshore Learning Packet,
2009. Print.
 Lakeshore. N.p.: Lakeshore, n.d. School Supplies and Teacher Store - Educational
Materials for Preschools, Elementary Classrooms & More. Lakeshore Learning
Materials. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/>.
 Magee, Tyler Laird, Dr. "Management." Class Lecture. T.J. Day Hall, Linfield College,
McMinnville. 29 Aug. 2012. Lecture.
 Magee, Tyler Laird, Dr. "Management." Class Lecture. T.J. Day Hall, Linfield College,
McMinnville. 3 Sept. 2012. Lecture.