David Groves of Adam & Eve: Five Things Business Leaders Can Do To Create A Fantastic Work Culture

Simply say “Thank You.” Make it your mission to thank at least one employee every day, by mail or text if you must, but face to face is more powerful. In my view, the biggest cause for dissatisfaction among employees is feeling taken for granted.

As a part of my series about how leaders can create a “fantastic work culture”, I had the pleasure of interviewing David Groves, president of Adam & Eve and AdamEve.com.

David Groves began his career in the mailroom of PHE Inc. in 1980. One year later and after earning an MBA, Groves took his first full-time job as a marketing analyst. Soon after, he became a supervisor and then expanded into his role as a manager of data processing, data services and accounting in 1987. In 1998, Groves was tapped to be vice president and went on to become President in 2014. His entire career, which spans 41 years, has been with PHE Inc. and Adam & Eve.

Groves earned an undergraduate degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to complete an MBA at that same University. He lives in Greensboro, N.C. with his wife of 35 years and two spoiled-rotten dogs.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was working on a master’s degree and got a part-time job opening the mail here, which paid the princely sum of $3.19 per hour. Prior to this, my school colleagues and I had our sights set on landing a job at Citibank, IBM, P&G or some other Fortune 500 company. Still, I was fascinated by this little catalog business. One day, I received a note from the president telling me “Great Job” for the previous week. That one act of kindness and recognition convinced me what a special place this is. And more than 40 years later, it’s now my job to ensure this is a special place to work.

Are you working on any exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

We started “Fun Days” back in November 2020. This is where each department plans a weekly fun activity for all — food, games, giveaways, gift cards, prize drawings or the like. First, the departments came up with some very creative themes: a takeoff on “Squid Game,” Sex Toy Olympics and a Pajama Day. It’s great to see the organizers having more fun than the participants. During our busiest season, people tend to get stressed and run down, but these short respites give everyone a chance to laugh and have some fun.

Ok, let’s jump to the main part of our interview. According to this study cited in Forbes, more than half of the US workforce is unhappy. Why do you think that number is so high?

At first blush, half sounds low. Because THE WORLD seems to be a uniquely unhappy place right now with all the challenges we’re facing. It still doesn’t surprise me that half describe themselves as unhappy. Unhappy workers are those who have somehow become disengaged or disconnected with their job roles. Human beings crave interesting and challenging work that leads to personal success and growth. Their accomplishments are integral to the overall success of the enterprise. Companies generally do a poor job making these connections for workers. I am responsible for creating that atmosphere where people are challenged and are given the opportunity to be successful while simultaneously being recognized for their efforts. I really want people to feel happy; on the other hand, I am not responsible for their happiness. Happiness is a personal choice. To use an analogy, just because Disney World has built the “happiest place on earth” doesn’t mean every visiting child will have a good time.

Based on your experience or research, how do you think an unhappy workforce will impact a) company productivity b) company profitability c) and employee health and wellbeing?

I tend to see unhappy workers as an opportunity cost, more than a present cost to productivity or profitability. It’s more insidious — it’s the new creative idea that doesn’t get followed through on, it’s not staying a little late to fix a problem, etc. It’s doing the minimum necessary to keep one’s job. In other words, an unhappy workforce threatens the future growth and viability of the company.

With respect to employee health and well-being, I’m most concerned about the unhappiest of the unhappy. The power of their negativity can be so contagious, it can be poisonous to rest of their team. We leaders oftentimes believe we can coach the unhappiest back into the fold. And while you’re spending energy on them, others who are happy can and will slip through your fingers.

Can you share 5 things that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture? Can you give a personal story or example for each?

1. Simply say “Thank You.” Make it your mission to thank at least one employee every day, by mail or text if you must, but face to face is more powerful. In my view, the biggest cause for dissatisfaction among employees is feeling taken for granted.
2. Training and Development. A manager’s job is to make every employee successful. When an employee “wins,” everyone wins. And the salary/rewards system must be aligned with people’s growth. Ideally, the person gets promoted to a role with higher responsibility, but even if they leave for a better position somewhere else, that’s a win too.
3. Boldly Delegate! Humans like/need to be challenged with interesting, meaningful work. Don’t delegate the tedious work that you don’t really like to do. Delegate some of the things you do best. That demonstrates confidence and support and in a practical sense, it’s easier to keep an eye on.
4. Continuous and Timely Feedback. The feedback model I prefer is, “What to do more of, what to do less of, and what to keep the same.” In my experience, this usually eliminates the defensiveness that impedes high quality communication.
5. Model Behavior. Be on time. Adhere to deadlines. Demonstrate respect. If you hold yourself accountable, it’s easier to expect that from others.

It’s very nice to suggest ideas, but it seems like we have to “change the culture regarding work culture”. What can we do as a society to make a broader change in the US workforce’s work culture?

Ownership. I believe every employee deserves a stake in the outcome, with significant and tangible stock ownership of the company. At its core, it’s a commitment to share the success. When the company does better, you’ll do better. At a prosperous company such as ours, employees can double or triple their annual wages. Ownership is a powerful way to connect people to their companies. This unleashes untapped potential in the organization. More broadly, I believe it closes the wealth gap across every level of the company.

How would you describe your leadership or management style? Can you give us a few examples?

I’m certainly more like an architect than a leader imbued with that “vision thing.” I simply look at things and ask, “How could we make this just a little bit better?” I don’t subscribe to complacency, it’s crucial to always look for ways to improve.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

After a promotion to manage another department, my boss Phil Harvey gave me a bit of advice that has stuck with me. “David, if you want to be successful as you move up in the organization, you have to manage people who are smarter than you.” While a simple concept, it was an epiphany. Before this, I thought I was supposed to be the smartest guy in the room and was terrified if others found me out. Letting go of that ideal was liberating. When you’re limited to one person’s ideas, it stunts the success of the enterprise.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I’ve never really aspired to bring goodness to the world. I just try to be a good person, and what I do influences those around me. That’s enough to make me feel valued.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” I think it’s one of Covey’s 7 Habits. In my salad days, I was a brash, cocky MBA who thought he was always right. While that embellishes your resume, it doesn’t lead to trust, respect and eventually leadership.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’d go back to that “Life Lesson Quote.” If we all listened more, and truly tried to understand different perspectives, we could bring about world peace, end political and social division, and clean up that sewer of vitriol that’s called social media.

This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.