Guest: Garry Ridge knows how to build a great company. He spent 25 years as CEO building one of the world’s most beloved and recognized branded companies – WD-40 Company – starting with creating a culture of leaders and individual contributors who are genuinely joyful in their work. He refers to this time of his career as his apprenticeship. And now, he fulfills his life’s purpose by transforming his learnings into teachings, extending his guidance as a coach to companies and executives worldwide.

Garry co-authored Helping People Win at Work with Ken Blanchard and contributed a chapter to the Marshall Goldsmith/Frances Hesselbein book Work is Love Made Visible. His forthcoming book, Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It, is scheduled for release in 2025.

As part of his lifelong commitment to helping others develop, Garry is an Adjunct Professor at The University of San Diego. He is also on the Gorilla Glue Company and Eastridge Workforce Solutions boards.

Episode Insight: How would you feel if every one of your employees loved their job at your company? It’s a worthy goal and one that’s attainable.

Background: I love this inspiring conversation with Garry Ridge, former CEO of WD-40 Company about how to build a great company. During this week’s episode of Reflect Forward, Garry shares insights from his 25-year journey, discussing his evolution into a people-focused leader influenced by thought leaders like Ken Blanchard. Garry shares that if he can accomplish one thing, it would be to help companies create a workplace where people can go to work every day knowing that their efforts contribute to a cause bigger than themselves, where they feel safe, protected, and set free every day by a compelling set of values, learn something new, and try new things without fear. This makes happy people. And happy people create happy families and communities. Happy communities create a happy world. And we need a happy world. And this is why we need leaders focused on how to build a great company.

We also explore building a positive company culture, empowering employees, and the critical role of feedback in growth. Garry discusses how transparency, courage, and humility can transform leadership and drive organizational success. Tune it to gain practical strategies for creating engaged work environments and invaluable leadership lessons from Garry’s personal anecdotes and career experiences.

Episode Time Stamps

• 00:00 Welcome and Guest Introduction
• 01:40 Garry Ridge’s Leadership Journey
• 02:00 Transformational Leadership Insights
• 02:46 Building a Global Brand
• 03:53 Learning from Influential Figures
• 05:38 Embracing Humility in Leadership
• 07:50 Creating a Coaching Culture
• 11:11 Ingredients for a Great Culture
• 15:24 Handling Toxic High Performers
• 18:06 The Traits of Effective Leaders
• 18:42 The Ripple Effect of Happy Employees
• 20:09 The Importance of Courage in Leadership
• 22:33 Learning from Bold Decisions
• 24:30 The Value of Transparency
• 26:20 Embracing Feedback as a Leader
• 30:32 Reflecting on Leadership and Introducing the Book
• 32:45 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

How to find Garry:

Website: www.thelearningmoment.net
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garryridge/

Please order my book, The Ownership Mindset, on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

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