Simon Sinek

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

Who would’ve guessed that one of the world’s best company cultures was hiding behind a can of WD-40? Of all the places to find a leadership masterclass, the blue-and-yellow can in your garage probably wasn’t on your list - but it’s time to put it there. Garry Ridge—an Australian who brought his charm and curiosity across the Pacific—joined WD-40 Company in the late ’80s and rose through the ranks, eventually serving as CEO for 25 years. But he didn’t start out as the culture-building expert he’s known as today. Early in his career, he lived by the old mantra: “be brilliant, be brief, be gone.” He had to unlearn that mindset and rebuild himself into a leader who centers people, learning, and belonging - an evolution that reshaped WD-40 from the inside out. His new book, Any Dumb Ass Can Do It, captures that journey. In this episode, we break down how Garry built a company where people genuinely love coming to work—even through recessions, pandemics, and all the external chaos leaders can’t control. We dig into the systems and behaviors that fueled WD-40’s rise, from psychological safety to accountability to building internal consistency no matter what the market is doing. Garry and I both believe that people deserve to love their work - even if they don’t like it every single day. People want to feel seen, heard, and valued. And Garry is one of the rare leaders who knows exactly how to make that happen. This is A Bit of Optimism. --------------------------- This episode is brought to you by the Porsche USA Macan --------------------------- Check out Garry’s new book. https://thelearningmoment.net/any-dumb-ass-can-do-it/ And his coaching work with The Learning Movement. https://thelearningmoment.net/ + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/ Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/ + + + #SimonSinek

GRGarry RidgeguestSSSimon Sinekhost

Nov 25, 2025·56m·Watch on YouTube ↗

📖 CHAPTERS

1. 1

   Garry Ridge’s humility as a leadership stance (and why WD-40 is the perfect culture example)

   Simon frames Garry Ridge as an unusual kind of public-company CEO: humble, people-first, and culture-obsessed. They set up why WD-40—an unglamorous, essentially single-product brand with modest offices—became a standout case study for high performance and high trust.

2. 2

   Going back to school as CEO: learning servant leadership from Ken Blanchard

   Garry explains that when he became CEO, he knew how to market and grow the brand—but didn’t know how to build a low-fear environment across a globalizing company. Meeting Ken Blanchard pushed him to literally return to school and study leadership as a learnable craft.

3. 3

   Changing the leader first: breaking the ‘command-and-control’ habit

   Before changing the company, Garry had to change himself—recognizing how CEO behavior ripples through an organization. He describes moving away from a fast, controlling style (“be brief, be bright, be gone”) toward relational, coaching-oriented leadership.

4. 4

   The flight epiphany: purpose, joy in work, and reducing fear

   Two quotes—attributed to the Dalai Lama and Aristotle—trigger Garry’s realization that people weren’t enjoying their work, and leadership was the cause. This leads to WD-40 clarifying a purpose centered on human outcomes and designing a culture where people can be brave.

5. 5

   A practical definition of culture: values + behavior × consistency

   They reject the idea that culture is ‘fairy dust’ or a one-off training program. Garry builds on Simon’s formula by adding consistency—arguing that only sustained, repeated behaviors anchored in values create trust and performance over time.

6. 6

   Why ‘tribe’ beats ‘family’ or ‘team’: protection, learning, and future focus

   Simon and Garry explore language and metaphors for organizations, rejecting ‘family’ (too permanent) and ‘team’ (too finite-game). ‘Tribe’ captures belonging and continuity, and defines leadership as learning/teaching to prevent ‘extinction.’

7. 7

   Performance proof for the cynics: WD-40’s growth without losing its soul

   To address skeptics, they anchor culture claims in business results. Garry shares striking growth metrics across market cap, stock price, and global footprint—showing that people-first leadership can outperform in a competitive, copycat-prone market.

8. 8

   The engagement equation: will of the people × strategy = outcomes

   Garry introduces a simple model: even a ‘70%’ strategy wins when most people execute it with passion. They argue many companies overinvest in strategy and underinvest in people, purpose, values, and learning—leaving huge performance on the table.

9. 9

   Replacing ‘manager’ with ‘coach’: how WD-40 operationalized leadership

   WD-40 removed the word ‘manager’ and trained leaders to act as coaches, with a clear cadence of check-ins. Coaching means defining what an ‘A’ looks like and helping people earn it—rather than judging after the fact.

10. 10

    Handling cynics and energy-drainers: values-based redirection (and the tribe enforces norms)

    Garry explains how WD-40 dealt with new hires carrying baggage or skeptical mindsets: leaders reinforce what success looks like, and the culture itself corrects misalignment. He shares a story of redirecting a toxic meeting participant privately through curiosity and values, not public punishment.

11. 11

    Adapting to younger generations: ditching annual reviews for ongoing growth steps

    They discuss generational expectations around loyalty, pay, mental health, and boundaries. Garry argues the fundamentals (belonging, mattering, learning) are universal, while practices should evolve—like replacing backward-looking annual reviews with frequent coaching and incremental milestones.

12. 12

    Removing fear with ‘learning moments’: the system that made bravery normal

    Garry details WD-40’s reframing of mistakes into ‘learning moments’ that must be openly shared for collective benefit. He shares how participation started tiny and grew to hundreds as people learned it was truly safe—because leaders celebrated the brave sharers.

13. 13

    Long-term capitalism and resilience: Wall Street, no layoffs, and the COVID ‘I feel safe’ moment

    Garry describes playing the long game with shareholders—leading with culture even when analysts rolled their eyes, and later seeing investors value it. He highlights WD-40’s commitment to never lay off employees during his tenure and the striking COVID-era survey result: excitement about the future increased because people felt safe.

14. 14

    Work as a human right: culture ripples into families, ethics, and ‘world peace’

    They close by arguing that loving work should be normal, not a lottery prize, even if every day isn’t enjoyable. They connect healthy culture to ethical behavior, lower compensation pressure, better communities, and the broader societal ripple effects of people going home treated with dignity.