The Culture That Converts Even the Biggest Cynics with former WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge

Ridge emphasizes that culture transformation started with his own behavior—moving from “be brief, be bright, be gone” to humility, praise, and asking for help—because CEOs often underestimate how their presence shapes fear and trust.

WD-40 framed culture as “values + behavior × consistency,” meaning the real work is repeated practice and reinforcement over time, not a one-time training or a poster on the wall.

“Create positive, lasting memories” is a statement about the kind of company they want to be, which then guides how people treat each other and customers across 176 countries, regardless of the simplicity of the product.

By removing the word “manager,” WD-40 clarified expectations: coaches develop people, don’t steal the ball, and hold regular conversations about obstacles, wellbeing, and progress—raising respect for direct leaders dramatically.

Performance management becomes development-oriented when leaders set clear standards and collaborate on progress, replacing gotcha evaluations with ongoing coaching and fewer surprises.

WD-40 encouraged open sharing of positive and negative outcomes to benefit everyone; Ridge modeled it by celebrating early contributors until reporting scaled from a handful of emails to hundreds.

Ridge’s formula—strategy score × percentage of people passionately executing—argues that even a “70% plan” wins when engagement is high, which their market cap/stock growth is used to substantiate.