10-02-2025
Doug DeVos (BSM’86) was a walk-on quarterback during his time at Purdue, but he used a basketball example to illustrate the benefits of capitalism during a recent appearance at the Daniels School’s Executive Forum.
“I grew up watching Michael Jordan,” said DeVos, co-chair of Amway and founder of Continuum Ventures. “He was faster, higher, had a better shot, all these sorts of things, with all this amazing character to win.
“What if we had limited that to say, ‘Hey, you scored 30 points, you’re done. You’ve got to sit. We want to give the other team a chance.’ Seems silly, doesn’t it? Yet people are intervening in economic outcomes all the time, trying to control the outcome rather than creating the opportunity.
“The closer you get to free enterprise and the more you allow people to thrive in their own environment and reach their own potential, the better they are going to do.”
DeVos also covered leadership styles during his conversation with Dave Randich, the Executive Forum instructor and a strategic management lecturer at the Daniels School. Amway is located in Ada, a small town in Michigan, and DeVos says he considers leadership a “contact sport,” emphasizing the need to connect with people in the organization.
DeVos also took questions from students in the class, which has been offered for more than 50 years and is one of the most popular courses at Purdue. Guest speakers come to campus each week to share their career insights and experiences with students.
View DeVos’s Executive Forum class:
The Daniels School’s Executive Forum is held in person on the West Lafayette campus and is open to the public, as seating permits. Follow the business school on LinkedIn to learn about upcoming Forum speakers and more.
