Deckers Brands president and chief executive officer Dave Powers believes the best work is done when you’re relaxed and comfortable. That philosophy plays out even with what he wears in the office.
“I go to work in a baseball hat and slippers,” the exec said with a laugh Tuesday afternoon in New York City at the day-long FN Summit. Powers was joined in conversation titled “How Culture Empowers Brands” by FN senior editor Stephen Garner.
Powers offered valuable lessons on creating a positive culture at Deckers, which owns the red-hot Hoka and Ugg brands, among several others. The exec stated he believes the culture at Deckers has been critical to its success.
“Everybody should feel welcomed, heard, seen, empowered and cared for,” Powers said. “It’s amazing to see employees react to that kind of environment and how they protect it once they have it. They truly come to work being themselves. You don’t have to change who you are when you walk through the door at work.”
He continued, “It empowers teamwork, collaboration, trust and when you’re truly your most relaxed and comfortable is when you truly do your best work.”
Creating an exceptional culture at Deckers was intentional, Powers explained, and was largely the result of experiences he had during his earlier retail and footwear industry days, when he hated workplace culture.
“I truly loved the work, but I went to work every day with a knot in my stomach,” Powers said. “There was judgement, you had to dress a certain way, act a certain way, there was competition, it was political. I used to feel like I wasn’t performing at my best because I was so [uncomfortable] so much of the time.”
That company culture is especially important when adversity or exceptional hate in the world is present. Powers explained how it came into play when the company felt backlash for its Pride Month efforts.
“As a public company, you have to have your financial house in order before you can have a voice in society, so to speak. If I started talking about the environment or diversity and the business is struggling, I wouldn’t be here. So the first thing is get your house in order,” he said. “The second things is know who you are, who your brands are, who your consumers are and what you stand for. Then you have the confidence and the foundation to share your values.”
He continued, “We embrace diversity with all of our brands, we focus a lot of energy on the environment, and we’re not vocal about it, we’re a humble company, but we stand in front of it. When I get an email that’s hateful or wants to boycott the brand because of something we did, it doesn’t bother us. If you don’t like the brand or what we’re doing, that’s fine. Shop somewhere else. We’re not going to be swayed by those kinds of emails or being exposed to those kinds of things.”
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
