When a family conflict at Market Basket, a New England supermarket chain, led to the ouster of Arthur T. Demoulas, the company’s longtime president, the ensuing backlash drew headlines nationwide. Customers and employees rallied to his defense — and won his job back.

Many of Mr. Demoulas’s most profound leadership gestures were made far from the spotlight, employees say.

Terry McCarthy, a store manager who has worked at Market Basket for more than 30 years, recalls Mr. Demoulas’s reaction when Mr. McCarthy’s daughter, Devin, was critically wounded in a car accident.

“He said a couple of things to me that I’ll take to my grave,” Mr. McCarthy says. The boss worked personally to make sure that Devin had the best possible medical care.

“He stood for me in my worst hours,” Mr. McCarthy says. “I’ll stand for him in his worst.”