How Servant Leadership and Culture Built WD-40’s Global Success with Garry Ridge

Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome Garry Ridge — the legendary former CEO of WD-40. For over 25 years, Garry didn’t just grow revenue — he built one of the most admired workplace cultures in the world.At WD-40, 98% of employees said they loved coming to work. They felt trusted. They were empowered. Their work had purpose.In this episode, Garry shares how they built a tribe where people felt safe and inspired to do their best work, and how servant leadership became the foundation for building a global brand.If you’re a founder, executive, or team leader, this episode will inspire how you lead and what kind of culture you’re creating.Timestamps:00:00 Garry Ridge's Intro00:46 Welcome Garry Ridge00:57 Garry's Journey To Leading The WD-40 Company01:50 Creating The Culture At WD-4002:35 The Secret Sauce04:00 The Purpose Of WD-40 Company04:48 Servant Leadership Perspective - A Great Coach07:28 Helping People Win At Work - First Steps10:52 The Journey After Leaving WD-4011:36 Don't Float Into A Void12:06 Business Must Be A Force For Good12:33 Garry's New Purpose Statement13:47 Major Learnings Since Leaving WD-4015:24 Common Mis-Steps Of Leaders17:13 Recommendations To People In A Bad Culture18:41 Stewards Of People's Future19:37 What Didn't Go Well While At WD-4021:54 Most Recent Book - "Any Dumb-ass Can Do it"23:15 Advice To Young Leaders24:39 Partnering With Ken Blanchard25:51 Value OF A Hierarchical Set Of Values30:08 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions32:15 ClosingGarry's new book: https://thelearningmoment.net/any-dumb-ass-can-do-it/Servant Leadership:URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast