Jim Stewart
President
BMP Partners, Inc., Houston, Texas
Number of direct reports: 38
Nominated by: Paula Porter
Nominator Paula Porter appreciates the fact that her boss, Jim Stewart, rolls up his sleeves and gets to work with the rest of the team.
Jim’s cool factor: He goes on the road with his sales staff, says nominator Paula Porter, who recently traveled with him to Austin, Texas. “This allowed me to get one-on-one time with him while being myself. It’s fun, educational and a time to get to know something about one another other than work. We laughed—that was the highlight of this trip.”
Jim Stewart founded the Houston, Texas-based distributor 27 years ago after working for Moore Paper Company for eight years. He’s been managing others for about a decade and has clearly learned what works. The key to success for Stewart is that he doesn’t sit in a lofty office but rolls up his sleeves and gets to work with the rest of the team.
“Jim hits the streets and works harder than anyone I have ever known,” says Porter, a corporate brand specialist who has reported to Stewart for the past six years. “He asks nothing from the sales team that he does not do himself. His willingness to see that each of us are successful is phenomenal. One could not ask for a better mentor.” Stewart’s strong work ethic sets the pace for all employees, and Porter continues to be impressed with her boss’s passion to get new products and ideas in front of clients. “He’s a hard worker,” she adds, “and has taught me many things that have assisted me in becoming successful.”
One On One With Jim Stewart
Most important lesson learned as a boss:
I’ve learned to listen to people and try to be empathetic to their issues.
Philosophy for successfully managing people:
My philosophy is to encourage people to do their best and don’t micro-manage.
To create a positive team culture:
I try to make the office a fun environment and praise people on jobs well done.
Best advice for other managers:
I really don’t feel I can give other managers advice as I still struggle every day to be a good manager. Being a good manager is a climb that is never over. The best advice for anyone is to continue to strive to learn how to do it better, never being content because people and the world are always changing.
Best boss ever:
My best boss was John Mott back in the early ’70s because he encouraged me to learn how to do more things than required and to reach for the next rung. He helped me get from pumping gas to sales to management in two years.
