"Management by looking over your shoulder"
Sam Walton had a lot of different aspects to his management style, that seemed to take in the various personalities of those he worked with; especially his managers.
A.L. Johnson, Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart once said, "As famous as Sam is for being a great motivator ... he's equally good at checking on the people he has motivated. You might call his style: management by looking over your shoulder."
At first glance it may seem that Walton was a micromanager, but not only wasn't that really in his personality, but it wouldn't have been able to be possible, even after the first several years of expansion. When you look at the relationship between Walton and his people, there never seems to have been that problem at 
the company while Walton was running it.
I believe what is being said here is that Walton truly cared about those he motivated and really wanted them to succeed. He was always willing to give people a chance at management if they wanted to give it a try.
Of course retail workers are different than say "information" workers, and they are managed in a different way. So the enormous details involved in retail have to be managed, as far as training new managers goes, in a way unique to the industry.
He didn't only leave them alone to sink or swim, that would come later. What he did was give them all the encouragement he could to offer them a real chance at making it in management in the company. He did it by verifying what he motivated them with was being put into practice. It also doesn't mean that the worker always knew that Walton was doing it.
How many times do we watch potential leaders in the business from a distance to see if they are material for advancement? This is what Walton was doing with his people.
Other Walton Sources:
The Most Underrated CEO Ever The legendary Sam Walton
Sam Walton: The Power of Persistence
Sam Walton Business Quotes for Ya
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