Empathy Over Ego: A Leadership Key to WD-40’s Success (Garry Ridge)

Episode # 49

Mar 19, 2025

Explore transformative leadership with Garry Ridge, Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of WD-40, as he highlights the profound value of engaged, purpose-driven workplaces. He discusses the art of balancing empathy with decisiveness and fostering a culture of happiness to drive unparalleled success.

This is To Lead Is Human — listen to learn how you can uplevel your leadership and shape cultures of accountability, respect, and candor.

“ If you build an organization where people know and feel like they belong and matter, then you’re going to build an organization that’s full of highly engaged people who are happy. And I think it’s as simple as that. ”

Garry ridge
Garry ridge

Garry Ridge, Chairman Emeritus of WD-40 Company, The Culture Coach

Garry Ridge is a purpose-driven founder, board member, advisor, professor, and global keynote speaker with over 35 years of experience leading and transforming global businesses. As Chairman and CEO of WD-40 Company for 25 years, Garry grew the brand into one of the world’s most trusted and beloved names, earning recognition as one of Inc. Magazine’s World’s Top 10 CEOs.

Known as The Culture Coach, Garry is passionate about creating workplace cultures where people thrive, learn, and contribute to something greater. He is the visionary behind The Learning Moment, a platform that helps leaders foster innovation and engagement through values-driven leadership.

As an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego, Garry taught Culture at Work: Putting Principles into Practice in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program. He is the author of Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It: Learning Moments from an Everyday CEO of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Company and co-author with Ken Blanchard of Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called 'Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A'. Both books share practical leadership lessons inspired by his belief that "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."

Sharon Richmond

For more than 30 years, Sharon Richmond has partnered with C-level executives from mid-size and small, fast-growing companies who want to up-level their leadership and build companies they are proud of. Clients accelerate their leadership by embracing mindset and behavior changes, building self-awareness and self-management skills, and focusing on the three things all leaders must ensure: focus, energy, and delivery.

Sharon’s purpose as an executive coach is to help leaders 10X their impact by leveraging the power afforded by their roles to build organizations that are forces for good, both economically and socially. She also advises CEOs on shaping organization culture and leading change.

Sharon has taught leadership at Stanford GSB, where she now helps leaders increase influence, manage conflict, and prepare to build high-performing teams.

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:

Credits:

  • Guest: Garry Ridge
  • Host: Sharon Richmond
  • Producer: Andrew Chapman
  • Executive producer: Danny Iny
  • Assembled by: Andrew Chapman
  • Audio Editor: Marvin del Rosario
  • Music soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely
  • Making our host sound great: Home Brew Audio

Music and SFX credits:

Every business leader has a huge impact on their organization. In this podcast, Sharon Richmond interviews successful leaders who have turned personal growth into tangible business outcomes. They discuss overcoming challenges, lessons learned and what helps them make a positive impact in their organization. Sharon offers insight and advice to help listeners envision how they can supercharge their own leadership by blending the art and science of leading with intention.

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