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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

Garry RidgeguestSimon Sinekhost
Nov 25, 202556mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. GR

    You know, I used to introduce myself, [laughs] "G'day, I'm Garry Ridge. I'm the consciously incompetent, probably wrong and roughly right, chairman and CEO of WD-40 Company, and I need all the help I can get."

  2. SS

    Garry Ridge is the embodiment of what it means to be a great CEO. That he took the time to write down how he learned to lead, with such humility I might add, means that we all get to learn how to lead like him, and that can only be a good thing, said me on the back of Garry's new book, Any Dumb Ass Can Do It. And having him on this podcast was such a treat. I've known Garry for a bunch of years, and I have learned so much from him, and today was no exception. We talked about some of the specific things he did that took WD-40, yes, WD-40, from a successful company to a wildly successful company. And it's worth noting, it is a remarkable place to work. People love working there, and the results prove it. If you're a senior leader that wants to build a great corporate culture, this conversation is absolutely essential listening. And for everyone else who wants to work in a culture where we feel loved and seen and love coming to work, well, it's also essential, because we have to know what a great culture looks like if we're gonna demand that somebody build it for us. This is A Bit of Optimism. [upbeat music] This episode is sponsored by Porsche and their new Macan, which is actually my car. I had it before they called. It's actually my car, and I love it. You know I quote you all the time, right?

  3. GR

    I believe so.

  4. SS

    [laughs]

  5. GR

    [laughs]

  6. SS

    There, there's a story you told me that I have told so many times of, uh, uh, of a time where you were on an analyst's call and the analyst said to you, "Garry, you missed your numbers." You know what, you know the story. And you said, "No, I didn't. I missed your numbers."

  7. GR

    I missed your number.

  8. SS

    You ran a public company for m- how many years?

  9. GR

    25.

  10. SS

    25 years you ran WD-40, and it, public company, but you ran it in the way public companies should be run, which is not beholden to the shareholders, but rather taking care of your employees and taking care of your customers. That was how you ran this company. And I love using WD-40 as an example because it's not glamorous. It's not tech. It's basically a one-product company. I know you have line extensions, but it's basically a one-product company. And I remember when I first visited your offices, if I dare say, it was a bit dumpy.

  11. GR

    Yep.

  12. SS

    And it defied all of the conventional wisdoms of what great culture is, which is flat screen TVs, free food, you know, all of this stuff. It was a dumpy office, and morale was high, and people loved each other, and it was home to them.

  13. GR

    Mm-hmm.

  14. SS

    And this is one of the reasons I love you as a leader and one of the reasons I love WD-40 as an example, which is it defies all of the conventional wisdoms of what a lot of modern leaders think makes a great company, especially young leaders.

  15. GR

    Mm-hmm.

  16. SS

    Where do you learn that?

  17. GR

    Well, it went back to when I first met Ken Blanchard. You know, I became CEO in 1997, and the goal was to take the blue and yellow can with the little red top to the world, and I kind of knew with help of friends and people in the organization how to market the product.

  18. SS

    Were you, were you an employee first or you came in as a C- as, to be CEO?

  19. GR

    No, I'd been with the company 10 years before that.

  20. SS

    Okay.

  21. GR

    I started in Australia-

  22. SS

    Okay

  23. GR

    ... in 1987.

  24. SS

    Got it.

  25. GR

    They asked me to move to the US in 1994. In 1997, the CEO retired, and for my sins, I got to be CEO. [laughs]

  26. SS

    [laughs]

  27. GR

    I knew how to do that, but m- what was on my mind, Simon, was we were gonna have a company that the sun would never set on.

  28. SS

    Yeah.

  29. GR

    How were we going to create an environment where people knew and felt like they belonged, knew what they did mattered and made a difference, could make choices, and there was a low level of fear?

  30. SS

    Yeah.

Episode duration: 56:55

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