In this episode of the Executive Forum, host David Randich sits down with Doug DeVos, Founder of Continuum Ventures, LLC and Co-Chair of Amway, to discuss developing a leadership style in management and influencing company culture.
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Questions asked in this interview
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0:50Can you describe your leadership style and how it's evolved as you've gotten more mature?
Welcome to the executive forum speaker series from Purdue University's Daniel School of Business. I'm your host Dave Randich, a lecturer here at the Daniel School. Executive Forum brings students and industry leaders together to inspire with insights on industry trends and guidance for developing business leadership skills. Today we welcome Doug Devos, co-chair of Amway, the world's largest direct selling company. Doug, welcome and thank you for taking the time today.
So I'm going to jump right in on leadership. This week in my classes, we're talking about leadership styles and how to learn to be leaders. Can you describe your leadership style and how it's evolved as you've gotten more mature?
Sure. Amway is in Ada, Michigan, a small town where you know everyone's family and run into them at the grocery store. Leadership is a contact sport. I grew up watching my dad and his partner Jay lead very personally. The Amway idea was about people, not just products. So I walk around the company, management by walking around. I love seeing the pride in the cosmetics plant, the tanker car for toothpaste. That shapes your style. It's a global business, so you travel, but you must be with people, break bread, have coffee. That's the style I saw and try to demonstrate.
And so how do you break that culture down? It's just the initiative and recognition of the value everyone has. I'd walk up to people, ask what they're working on. You create a culture where that's normal. It's not one way; they see you too.
Yeah. I love your point that every job is important. It goes back to personal worth. Each of you has unique talents, but you're more than that. It's your character and values. When you believe everyone is special, you think about their gifts and how to add value together. I encourage you to think about who you are from the inside out and refine that here at Purdue.
Humility is easy when you know you're not the smartest in the room. I stay curious, ask questions like 'How are you seeing it?' Rather than proclaiming, we discover a direction together. A pastor friend said to end every statement with 'I could be wrong.' But you must be decisive for the team. So ask better questions faster, then set direction and communicate clearly. Being a servant leader doesn't weaken decisiveness; it adds humility and connection.
DeVos, D. (2025, October 1). Executive Forum: Doug Devos [Interview transcript]. Purdue University Daniels School of Business. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1054367/
MLA
Doug DeVos. "Executive Forum: Doug Devos." Purdue University Daniels School of Business, 1 Oct. 2025. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1054367/.
BibTeX
@misc{devos2025_1054367,
author = {Doug DeVos},
title = {Executive Forum: Doug Devos},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, Purdue University Daniels School of Business. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2025},
month = {oct},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1054367/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
