Turning Tribal Wisdom into Belonging: Lessons from WD-40 CEO Emeritus Garry Ridge

00:00:00
Hi Difference Makers. I have a really exciting update for you. Many of you know that for the past few years I've been writing over on Substack. Some of you have been over there, some of you haven't yet. But there I've written some reflections and behind the scenes thoughts, deeper dives into global leadership, equity and the kind of topics we often explore here on the podcast together.

00:00:21
Well, today I launched paid subscriptions for the very first time on substack@loriadamsbrown.substack.com so I'm very excited because I've been sharing all this for free for years and I'm so grateful for your support along the way. But you know, let's be honest. Women deserve to be paid for their work, especially women of color. For those of you listening and who are out there often expected to serve and teach and lead without compensation, it's awful. But launching paid subscription is one small but bold way.

00:00:55
I'm pushing back on that narrative because the truth is your voice, your labor, your difference making matters. And so does mine. So here's what this means for you. If you're already a paid supporter on Patreon, you don't need to do anything. I've given you a free gift subscription to my substack for a limited time.

00:01:13
Just my way of saying thank you. Check your email or head to patreon.com A World of Difference to get all the details. And if you're not a subscriber on Substack yet, this is the perfect time to join us. You'll get access to thoughtful written content that complements what you hear on the show and and for a limited time, you can subscribe with 20% off the lowest price Substack allows. This community is built around belonging, global voices, leadership that lifts and content that challenges and inspires.

00:01:44
And I want your voice in that room. So if you've ever thought I love what she's creating, but how can I support more deeply, or if you've ever wanted to ask, could you write more about that topic? Well, this is your moment. Head over to loriadamsbrown.substack.com and become a paid subscriber or or a founding member. If you want to help build this new space with me.

00:02:04
Thank you for making a difference. Let's keep changing the world one brave voice at a time. Welcome to the A World of Difference podcast. I'm Lori Adams Brown and this is. A podcast for those who are different.

00:02:16
And want to make a difference. Hey difference makers, if you're ready to blow the roof of what you think you know about leadership, workplace culture, and building a team that thrives even in the toughest times, you are in the right place. Today, I've got a powerhouse guest for you. Garry Ridge, Chairman emeritus of the WD40 company, a true legend in the leadership world and author of the game changing book, Any Dumbass Can Do It. What a title.

00:02:44
And yep, you heard that title right, Because Garry's not here to sugarcoat leadership. He's here to show you how to create tribal culture where people feel safe, valued, and ready to innovate. We're talking about psychological safety. Hello, Amy Edmondson. Fans, raise your hand.

00:03:01
Building trust, cross cultural leadership, and yes, how to turn even the biggest mistakes into learning moments that fuel growth. If you've ever felt like you're not the one in charge or the systems are too big to change, or it's just the way things are, Garry is here to smash those limiting beliefs wide open. And we're also diving into the hero's journey of leading through the COVID 19 pandemic, lessons from Fijian leadership and how you, yes, you can build a culture of belonging no matter where you lead. So whether you're a CEO, a team leader, a teacher, a community builder, or just someone who wants to show up as a difference maker in this world, buckle up. This episode is a masterclass in leadership and that you cannot afford to miss.

00:03:47
And hey, if you love this conversation, do me a huge favor. Share it with a friend, your team, your boss, whoever needs to hear it. And don't forget to follow the show, leave us a review, and tell the algorithm that this podcast is worth sharing with the world. All right, let's get into it. Here's my conversation with the one and only Garry Rich.

00:04:11
Hi, Garry. I'm so excited to have this conversation with you today about your book that just released welcome to a World Difference Podcast. Well, it's just a delight to be with you. Thank you for inviting me along. You're welcome.

00:04:23
The title of your book is pretty provocative, I must say. Any dumbass can do it. If you're watching on video on YouTube, you can see the title back there. I have a copy of it here in my hands. It's definitely the kind of title that grabs you.

00:04:36
I would love to hear, just to start off with, what's the story behind such a bold title for your book? Well, thank you. Yes, Lori? Well, remember, an ass is a donkey, right? So it could say any dumb donkey could do it.

00:04:47
Right? But the basis behind it Was, I believe that a lot of leaders and people feel that building cultures in organizations where people go to work every day, they make a contribution to something bigger than themselves, they learn something new, and they're protected and set free by a compelling set of values and go home happy, they believe that it's a really daunting task to do that. My belief is that if you clearly understand the elements that need to be in place in an organization to do it and you're brave enough to execute on that consistently, any dumbass can do it. So that's, that's the basis. And the other side is, of course, yes, it does get people's attention.

00:05:28
It does get people's attention. Yes. And I'd love to hear because here on A World of Difference podcast, we have people that listen all over the world, in over 100 countries, a lot of people have had multiple cultures that have formed them in their childhood as they've grown up or are living in a different culture than maybe where their passport is. What are some of the cultures and places that have formed you as a person and as a leader? Well, of course, you know, my homeland is Sydney, Australia.

00:05:52
Well, it was Australia. My home city is Sydney. One great thing about, you know, the Aussie culture is we have what you call the tall Poppy syndrome. And so don't get too big for your boots. And I write about that in the book, in a chapter where I talk about my mum.

00:06:07
So of course, the Australian culture. The Australian culture is very much a get it done culture. And of course, because Australia is kind of far from everywhere, we're kind of that, that outgoing kind of group of people, certainly, but other cultures, you know, I've had the, the honor privileged and I'm so grateful that I've worked or visited 76 countries in my career and it's one of the richest experiences I've ever had because I really loved understanding the difference between cultures. You know, there are direct cultures like the US and then there were relationship building cultures like Latin America and Italy, and then there's really family based cultures which are cultures like China and some of the Asian countries. So I used to say when I was traveling around and visiting these countries and visiting friends and business colleagues, you have to take one disc out and put a new disc in, because if you go to one culture and you think the next one is exactly the same, you'll probably trip up on yourself.

00:07:10
And I often say the worst thing you could ever do, well, one of the worst things you could ever do is send the salesperson that you send to Walton's in. Sorry, to Walmart in Bentonville, to the same Walmart buying office in Mexico. Because the way that you need to react is quite different. I resonate so much with that, having grown up in international schools in Central and South America where I learned a lot of relationship building skills. In fact, we were graded on that in elementary school.

00:07:42
We had a conduct grade where as an introvert, I remember in Costa Rica, my teacher, Don Luis, telling my parents that I needed to work on saying buenos dias when I walked in, that I needed to initiate as a child with my teacher. Those relationship building skills were something we were learning in school and in our environment, but they're also a part of business, as you mentioned. So there's places in the world where, you know, you'll have these lavish dinners or business isn't just a phone call or an email. It is very relational. So I resonate with that also.

00:08:16
Having lived in Southeast Asia for 20 years of my career, it's very different the way things operate. And I love the disc analogy. I think that's a really great one. You know, one of your key ideas is, is about creating a safe environment for these learning moments that we have opportunities to have. And so some people might say, well, that sounds great in theory, but is it impractical in these very high pressure, rapidly changing environments of corporate settings nowadays?

00:08:43
How would you respond to that? Well, every great decision comes from learning. Actually, there's nothing that's original other than probably ug the caveman. You know, I mean, you know, if we look at. And that's why we.

00:08:59
We talk about the learning moment. In fact, you know, the company that I worked for for 35 years, 25 years as CEO, that product came from 39 learning moments back in 1953. The company was called Rocket Chemical Company. It was a fledgling little business down in San Diego. And there was a problem with condensation and corrosion.

00:09:19
The umbilical cord of the Atlas space rocket. And the chemists got together and started to mix formulations. Formula 1 didn't work, 15 didn't work, 30 didn't work, 35 didn't work, and 39 didn't work. But 40 worked. And that's why it's called WD Water Displacement 40th Formula.

00:09:35
And I think one of the things that we do have to be aware of in business is creating the fear to be able to say, I tried this and here's my outcome and it worked, or I tried this, here's my outcome, and it didn't. Work. How do I learn from that experience? So, again, you know, everything we have is a result of some learning or enhancing through some experience. So I think anybody who doesn't really think that the power of learning is a very, very big superpower, they need to maybe think about it a little more.

00:10:10
Well, actually, I learned that from your book. I did not know that WD40 had been tried, you know, 39 other times, and they didn't work. And I think it's one of those great illustrations that we can continue because people can really relate to that, that it really is just keep trying. For those of us who work in the tech world, this is something we constantly talk about. But, you know, Amy Edmondson, and you quote her in the book, talks a lot about psychological safety, and you talked about psychological safety being something you are developing at the same time within the company culture.

00:10:41
So what. What would you say to those leaders who argue that psychological safety, tribal culture, these are just buzzwords, but they're not really that relevant for us to spend that much time on? Well, I would say this. I believe there are two things critical in business success. The first one is, do we have a sound strategic plan?

00:11:02
So, you know, have we looked at the market that we want or the service or the product that we have? Have we identified the true end market? You know, all of these ingredients that go into the strategic plan, and then there's the execution of the strategic plan. Now, Gallup tells us that about 70% of people who go to work every day are either disengaged or actively disengaged. So would that tell me that we are getting the benefit from the collective efforts of the people in the organization?

00:11:36
No. So. So if only 30% of people are enthusiastically and passionately executing against a strategic plan that's, say, been marked up at 70 out of 130 times 70 is a number. But what happens if the will of the people, which is what I call it, is at 80%? 80% of people who go to work every day are passionately executing against a clearly defined purpose, making a difference to something bigger than themselves, feeling like they belong, knowing they matter, and able to make choices and having a low level of fear because learning is so important, and that the people that lead them are coaching them, not managing them.

00:12:20
80 times 70 is a much bigger number. So I think that anyone who says that building a strong, passionate culture is not an advantage gets it wrong. Lori, we proved it over 25 years. We took the blue and yellow can with a little red top to 176 countries around the world. And we took our market cap from $300 million to $3.5 billion, while 6 or 7 Xing their revenue.

00:12:51
And we did it because we had a reasonable strategic plan. But the true superpower of the organization was 98% of our people said they love to work at the company. And we had a 93% employee engagement. So we had a very high will of the people. It's truly incredible.

00:13:08
As somebody who works in a Silicon Valley tech company that's global engagement is something that those of us in talent development and CEOs CHROs are constantly trying to figure out. And the world of work is changing. So, you know, I and you and many others experienced a lot of our work life, which was five days in an office and not even just in roles where you're in manufacturing, but you know, these sort of corporate roles. But then, you know, things started to shift even prior to the pandemic, where suddenly there were these questions and a lot of social research around productivity, how people work best and some of the things that you're mentioning, having autonomy and figuring out the way that you get work done that works best for you. This is a very hot topic right now in Silicon Valley with CEOs trying to figure this out and position their companies for the future of work, welcoming in these digital natives, gen Z, gen alpha neurodiverse populations.

00:14:12
What advice would you give a CEO that's making those hard decisions right now for the people and engagement questions? Sure. So there is no doubt that we learned through benefiting from technology that there is an opportunity to do the work, some of the work we do without driving through, you know, eight hours of traffic morning and night, no doubt about it. But I don't think it's an either or. I think it's a both and, and here's why.

00:14:41
One of the key drivers of innovation is connection. And I think that during COVID when we were forced to go somewhat virtual, organizations that made finite decisions saying we're going to always be virtual probably jumped out in front too far. And I'm seeing now that organizations that have a balance, that they are bringing people together so that people can have micro conflict. Because I think micro conflict is important. You know, the micro conflict like around the water cooler, but also bringing people together to do meaningful work.

00:15:21
And I think that, you know, the leaders that work this out, you know, Lori's running out the door in the morning, she gives her husband, wife or significant other a high five and says, I am so excited to go to fill in the blank today, because we are going to work on fill in the blank. Now, I've said so excited. And the fill in the blank is not. I'm so excited to go to work and sit in front of the screen all day. But if we're bringing people together to use their brain, to use their connection, to do meaningful thinking and exciting thinking, to challenge each other, to strategize, that's important.

00:15:58
The other thing, as a leader, I think I want to see people in action. You know, I'm fortunate. My daughter, who lives in Australia, is a dance teacher. And she said to me one day, dad, before we would ever put anyone on Broadway, we would have them dance off Broadway so we could see what steps we needed to coach them on. And I think that's really important, too.

00:16:20
I know as I went through my career, given the opportunities to present in front of a board of directors, give a presentation to a wide bunch of people, whatever that is, was very beneficial in honing skills, and then I could see who those people were. So I think, overall, we need to get that balance. It's not an either or, it's a both. And finally, I might say that the other thing that's important, you know, I have the honor and privilege of serving on the board of a very nice company out in Cincinnati called Gorilla Glue. And Gorilla glue have about 600 people on their factory floor making very fine products every day.

00:16:56
Well, they want to see that the people in the front office are also there some of the time. So we don't create this great divide because you can't make glue in your lounge room. And, you know, and Gorilla Glue have really taken that position of, yeah, we're going to show the people on the factory floor that they are meaningful to us because we're going to be here, we're going to be walking around. The CEO is a great CEO who manages by walking about out on the factory floor, knows the names of most. Most of the people, I should think, which I think is also very important.

00:17:31
Yes, it's, you know, some of the research that we're seeing, because some of it is still being researched, to be honest. So there hasn't been. There's. Since the COVID pandemic and the return to office for some of the corporate side of even manufacturing companies, where we can assess how engagement works best and what's going on with attrition and that type of thing. And I do believe, as somebody who works in a manufacturing company, there is an element that we are seeing of just the Presence.

00:18:00
And I think you really touched on an important point. We are seeing where engagement can decrease. If a return to office mandate is, you know, maybe a four day, five day, a week situation, and then people are coming to an office after sitting in traffic and then they're on zoom calls all day long, but they're not really seeing the benefit of being together. So I think some of the easy parts of the decision are a return to office mandate. The hard parts are explaining the why behind it being clear on that and then providing, doing the hard work of arranging situations where people are getting their brains done together.

00:18:35
Absolutely, absolutely. So true. So true. Yeah. So you have said before that, you know, before people go, when people go home happy, they build better families and communities.

00:18:46
You talked about that a little bit just now when people are walking out the door and high fiving their spouse. Would. How would you see the ripple effects of workplace culture showing up beyond the office? And why is that important in our society today? Well, you know, could you imagine, you know, you're sitting at home of an evening and you go home and you've got, you know, your young family or your teenage family around you, and dad or mom are just griping about how much they hate their job.

00:19:13
Is that going to in any way motivate those people around the table to want to go and do whatever you do? No, it's not. So I think that, you know, if people are going home and saying, hey, I, this is the work that I do, I really enjoy it and are able to communicate and hear, here's the difference I made today. You know, I think that's the other thing. Organizations need to have a clearly defined purpose.

00:19:38
And I write about it in the book. Your purpose is not your product. You know, at WD40 company, our purpose was to create positive, lasting memories. And you know, I know many of our tribe members would go home and talk about, hey, this is how I created a positive, lasting memory today. This is how we did it.

00:19:55
This is what the outcome was. So there's no doubt. And you know that we want to set that example. And you know, if you look at the, the statistics from Gala, the biggest shift in disengagement is with young people under 35, which is sad. And the other thing that is really sad is we have an epidemic of loneliness going on.

00:20:19
And, you know, we need to deal with that. Loneliness is devastating. It ends up in a bad place. So I think we as businesses have an opportunity and an absolute responsibility to do what we need to do to create an environment where People. And I've said a thousand times, it's pretty simple.

00:20:41
Do people know and feel like they belong in the organization? And that's by the way they're being being treated by the people in the leadership. Do they know they matter and that their work makes a difference? Are they able to make choices? Because there's a hierarchical set of values in the organization that everybody lives by.

00:21:03
And those values are used to make decisions to the point that anyone in the organization, in any place in the world, at any level, can make any decision they need to make without quacking up the hierarchy. And then have we reduced fear by having learning moments, not mistakes? And then finally, very importantly, is the leader acting as a coach, not a manager? You don't manage people. You're there to coach them to play their best game.

00:21:35
It's so true. This is something I train on with our, I'm over our training and development at the company where I work. And one of the things I train on in all of our cultures is something based in Google's research that they did on their highest performing managers. And they found out that the key there, Project Oxygen was what it was called. They found out the managers who used coaching practices saw better success.

00:22:02
Just to your point. And some of those coaching practices aren't natural to a lot of people. They must be taught. It's asking questions that will help open up a blue ocean of possibility. It's not directing them, but really developing them and helping them solve their problems.

00:22:19
But you're coaching them alongside and, and so this is a very different leadership style. Leadership is changing. And I'm interested to know, when you look at the future of work from your perspective, where we do have, you know, ways that people work is, it's not going to be the same as it once was. Because what got us here won't get us through there. Great title of a book.

00:22:42
That's true. Thank you. Marshall Goldsmith. Yes, I will check that one out.

00:22:50
And so, you know, there's a lot being questioned about this. There's, there's no shortage of ink spilled on it. No one really knows exactly how it will go with AI entering to the picture, but I would love to hear from your perspective. If a CEO is trying to position their work for workforce strategy, their talent development strategy right now, what are some things they should be thinking of to keep that engagement, to, you know, cultivate that culture of psychological safety and to position their company for the future of what's happening in work? So, you know, I come back to the point of Whether we were in the 1900s, the 1950s, the 2000s, or the 2025s, the heart is still the same.

00:23:34
And what we need to do is continue to think about counting people's hearts, not their heads. And people always want to feel like they belong. I, you know, AI may come and go. It won't go. Of course it'll come, and it'll.

00:23:48
And it'll enhance where it can. But at the end of the day, it's us as leaders really treating people the way that we should treat them, which is being there to help them be the best they can. I think some of the simple things we can do is be very deliberate. We took the word manager out of our vocabulary completely. Once we said that everybody's a coach, then we had to define what is the role of a coach and how do we have those people be the best coaches they possibly could be.

00:24:26
And, you know, I like to make things pretty simple if I can. And I think a lot of organizations camouflage issues with confusion that people don't understand. So if I think about the coaching contract, it's pretty simple. A coach knows what it takes to win the game. A coach is brave not protecting their own comfort zone at the expense of other people's development.

00:24:49
They know how to win. A great coach never runs on the field to kick the ball. The offset of that in most leadership styles is micromanagement. A lot of people want to be a micromanager. They spend a lot of time on the sideline, observing the play with one objective only.

00:25:05
That's to help the person they have the privilege to lead, be a better player. They add value with feedback. They never, ever go to the podium to pick up the prize. And they spend a lot of time in the stinky locker room. And the stinky locker room is that place where business really happens.

00:25:23
Instead of thinking there's some sort of corporate royalty that has a privilege that they don't necessarily have. So going back to your question is my advice of my learning from my experiences to leaders is engage with your people like human beings. Treat them as you would like to be treated. You know, there's a great book written by Robert Fulgrim that's entitled Everything we Need to Know, We Learn in Kindergarten. And if you've ever read that book, those principles are truly the principles of great leadership.

00:25:55
No, they really are. Some things are very simple. We often see a bit of arrested development in the corporate world, where, you know, maybe some people just need a really good therapist and they need to spend some Time looking inside and unpacking, maybe their childhood narratives. But coaching is so important and it really is a role that is essential in the future of work. I totally agree.

00:26:17
You know, in your work as a, as a culture coach. Right. One of the, you know, I guess something to unpack here is one of the misconceptions leaders might have is when they're first starting out to build a people centered culture is maybe making the mistake that we just mentioned of assuming that what happened in the past is going to be exactly how it will be in the future. How do you help people shift their mindset to this very people centered nature of how culture should be so that they can be future proofed as an organization? I think what I've learned over time, Lori, is most leaders, most people don't get up every day with a clear objective of treating people badly as a leader.

00:26:59
And what I found is that awareness of their leadership behavior is so important. So, you know, I currently coach eight or so CEOs or C level executives. And when we make, when we go through a process of identifying their leadership behavior and I kind of put the mirror in, in front of them and I say, do you know that not being a good listener sends this message to the people you lead? And they go, oh no, not really. Do you know that being a micromanager sends this message?

00:27:32
Do you know that? You know, and once we identify these behaviors and show them how it's negatively impacting the people they have the privilege to lead, they kind of go, oh really? Oh. So then we go from awareness to intention. How are we going to change these behaviors intentionally to become a better leader so that those that you, that you're leading and coaching trust you more, rely on your guidance and your coaching.

00:28:02
So I think a lot of it is awareness. I know I was like that. You know, I had leadership behaviors and when I look back at them, I go, oh my gosh, why did I ever act like that? But until I became aware of them, I didn't know how it was impacting people. It's such a key point.

00:28:19
One of the four fundamental four we call it in the key leadership program I've developed at our company is self awareness. And when I first brought it up, it was for some people, a complete unknown. I think most of us have a higher estimation of ourselves and how we show up as leaders. And if we don't have conversations around the power dynamics, we might be tempted to take an approach of just asking our direct reports, well, how do I show up? But if they don't feel psychologically safe to, to push back or disagree with us because we haven't cultivated that we're not going to get accurate answers.

00:28:53
So it is self awareness is absolutely crucial. How we show up as leaders really matters. How have you seen this develop for some of the leaders that you've coached? Well, it makes an absolute difference. Once we, in the coaching work that I do, after identifying and we change behaviors, I go back about six months later and I talk to the stakeholders and in all circumstances they've said we've seen the change and we've, you know, and the team has become more united.

00:29:24
Trust is built. You know, trust is, is so important. You know, people, when we look at the elements of trust, do the team think you're able, believable, connected and dependable A, B, C, D of trust? And that comes out very, very strongly. So I think that awareness is very important.

00:29:42
But intention is so important. It is important. I want to talk a little bit about how, you know, especially those, those who led throughout the COVID pandemic in a business had to make some difficult decisions. And I think to our point around self awareness, a lot of times founders and if they're still currently leading the company, especially have their own hero's journey that they're on. They see their journey themselves.

00:30:10
But the reality is each of our employees, they're going on their own hero's journey. And what I mean by that is the transformation we see. What do you have to say and what did you notice around understanding the employee's hero's journey and not just centering the one of the person leading as a CEO or a founder and CEO, but to also center the stories of the employees and what they're experiencing as a hero's journey. Yeah, it was so important going through Covid and one of the ways to do that is to show empathy with the employee in so many cases. And it's sad.

00:30:44
Ego eats empathy instead of empathy eating ego. And I don't know whether I've ever introduced you to this person or not. I talk about it in the book this is Alec or it could be Alice, the soul sucking CEO of Fear Incorporated. And I made this little doll up so I could talk about them. And the behaviors which are.

00:31:06
But one of the most damaging behaviors is ego. And I think what we learned through Covid is we had to show empathy even more than before. And you know, empathy is not, should not be confused with sympathy. You know, sympathy is, I'm sorry you feel that way. Empathy is, I'm Going to feel what you're feeling.

00:31:26
So I know. Whereas we went through Covid at the company and, you know, it was in my last years as leading the company, had an amazing learning journey. And in fact, I wrote another book called the unexpected Learning Moment, which was leading the company through Covid. We really had to turn up the volume on showing empathy and understanding to the people that were in the organization because they were going through their own heroes journeys. It was very interesting.

00:31:54
You know, we went into Covid with very, very high employee engagement, 93%. And we'd had that level for many years and we, we treasured that. 98 of the people said they love to tell people they worked at the company. In January of 2021, if you remember back, and most of us don't want to, Covid was still uncertain. We hadn't had a vaccine.

00:32:20
You know, we were kind of nearly a year into this. We're getting exhausted, we're getting frustrated. Frustrated people are escaping toxic organizations. So I said to the team, my leadership team, I said, we need to check to see if we've drained our cultural equity. So we went out and we did a check in survey and the numbers came back and they were all pretty much where they were in the march that we'd taken it just before COVID started.

00:32:52
And there was one number that went up and it was the answer to the question, I am excited about my place in the company's future. And it came back at 97% of our people globally said that they felt safer, you know, confident. And I thought, this number is wrong. It cannot be right. You know, who's, who's not, who's not in the same season that we're in right now.

00:33:17
So we went and checked the data and it was right. And then my curious self said, I've got to find out why they're saying that. And it was probably one of the most rewarding pieces of feedback that we ever got. Clearly, our people came back and said, I feel safe. If I need to be anywhere else right now, I need to be here.

00:33:35
Because we are living our tribal promise of a group of people that come together to protect and feed each other. And it was like, wow, now we've really tested how rigorous and how strong our culture is because we had helped them through their hero's journey. And I thought that was so powerful. Oh, it's so powerful. Makes me tear up a little bit because I have worked in a toxic work environment where psychological safety was the opposite of what was being cultivated.

00:34:05
And if anybody has ever had a situation like that, you know, how beautiful it is to be treated as a human. And when we look at the cultures of the world, that's something common to all humanity. You spent time in Fiji, and you've spoken about some of the lessons you learned from the Fijian leaders. What were some of the most important insights you took from their leadership approach? And how did you incorporate that wisdom into the culture you built at WD40?

00:34:29
Yeah, well, I. I love Fiji, and I love the heart and the kindness of the Fijian people. And I was privileged enough. We've been back there, I think, again this year. This will be our 10th visit to the same island that we go to, and we've become kind of family.

00:34:46
But I think the thing that stood out to me was how, as you know, I developed this tribal culture concept at the company. And the tribal culture is not to be reflective of any indigenous group. You know, if we go back to the beginning of mankind, the caveman was part of the tribal culture. But the thing that was really, really powerful to me is I had. I was able to identify attributes of the tribal culture that when I spoke to some of these tribal leaders, they reassured me that these attributes were things that kept them together over a long period of time.

00:35:26
And the thing that I learned was the number one responsibility of a tribal leader is to be a learner and a teacher. And I remember speaking to some of the tribe leaders in Fiji, and they said, you know, if I, as the tribal leader, didn't teach this tribe member to be proficient at fishing, then we wouldn't have food, and the tribe would die. And we had to teach this tribal leader to be proficient at building a bure, otherwise we'd have nowhere to sleep. So. And we had to be focused on the future.

00:35:58
You know, if we saw a storm coming, we had to prepare for it. We couldn't ignore it. So the whole attributes of a tribe were built around. A tribe is a place of learning and teaching. It's a place of values.

00:36:11
They all had values, and they all used values to make decisions. They had future focus. They respected specialized skills in the organization. They respected the fact that we were warriors. We were there to protect and feed each other.

00:36:26
Right. That's where that came from. And then they said, and we need to celebrate. And if you've ever been to Fiji, they love to celebrate. There's.

00:36:33
There's always a guitar and someone singing and the happiness of the world. So when I was at the company, I was able to talk about these things to our People and say, this is why it's important. Are you being the true learner and teacher you should be and you know, are we respecting all these things so that, that, you know, that was a tribal cultural attribute was, you know, something that was really important to me. It's beautiful. I loved reading that part of the book.

00:36:59
It's to me, a leader who can observe other ways of leading and bring in even the different leadership styles of different cultures and incorporate that, take what works well in your organization and maybe put the other lessons on the side because you don't know at what point you might need also those as the future develops. I think those are some of the best leaders we have in leading our large organizations around the world today. So I really enjoyed that part of the book. I have now just a bit of a rapid fire quick questions. So just short and sweet answers.

00:37:36
No, I'm not a gun owner, so not that kind of fire. Or California. I'm not. I'm an anti gun person. But say whatever first comes to mind.

00:37:45
So just short and sweet. The first one is, what's a leadership book besides your own that changed your life? Oh, everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten by Robert Fulbrough. You're not alone. Many people have that answer.

00:37:57
It's a good one. What one word would you use to describe a great company culture? Belonging. Great choice. And what's your favorite Aussie slang term, slang term?

00:38:08
Brekkie. Brekkie. I love a good brekkie. Delicious. Delicious.

00:38:14
Are you a coffee or a tea person? Coffee. Yes. Me too. Yeah, they have great coffee in Australia.

00:38:19
You know they do. Melbourne. I love Sydney. I love Melbourne. I don't want to have to choose because I love them both.

00:38:24
But I think the coffee culture of Melbourne is probably a little. I agree, I'm a Sydney sider, but I would agree with you. What's the most underrated quality in a great leader? Dumbassery. Yes.

00:38:36
And I did love that part when you autographed my book and you said, g' day, Lori. Your dumbassery is your superpower. It's amazing. What's the best piece of advice Ken Blanchard ever gave you? It's not about you.

00:38:51
Great advice. A mistake you made that turned into a huge learning moment. Learning? Well, the mistake I made was not being a good listener. The result of that is I turned into a really good listener.

00:39:03
And that was the great learning moment. Amazing. Listening is absolutely key. We know communication is huge for all global business particularly. But the foundational course I have in the key Leadership program I developed at the company where I work is called Listen to Understand.

00:39:18
People come in thinking it's very easy. And I myself have trained on it so many times and I still am working on it. It's not easy, but it is a superpower if you can ever master listening to understand. I often say that great CEOs have bleeding tongue syndrome. That's a good way to put it.

00:39:35
And I'm going to tell you, there are many times I've sat in meetings like this, biting my tongue, reminding myself to shut up. Wow. It's such good advice. I'm so glad you're coaching CEOs.

00:39:50
What is one thing you do every day to stay grounded? Oh, easy. I have a little list here on my notepad. This is my trusty notebook. And you'll see that there's a little placard on there and it says, am I being the person I want to be right now?

00:40:09
And then it says, who is that person? And it says, and I read this more than one time a day. And it says, I want to be grateful, caring, empathetic, reasonable, a listener, fact based. I want to have a balanced opinion. I want to be curious.

00:40:22
I want to be a learner, and I want to throw sunshine, not a shadow. And I have to remind myself of that so often. And the reason I do, Lori, is we have no right to take our leftovers to anybody. And, you know, we've all been in situations in meetings and conversations or whatever, and we've ended that meeting and we're kind of drained. You know, we've left some of ourselves on the table, but then we're going to another interaction which is equally as important to that person or that group of people.

00:40:51
We're going to. But a lot of us take our leftovers, so nobody deserves our leftovers. So I, at the company, you know, I. This was with me most of the time when I was anywhere and I'd come out of one thing and I'd be going to another, and I center myself, I'd look at this, okay, Garry, this is who you need to be to be your best person. Center yourself, fill up your plate, because you can't.

00:41:13
You, you have no right to take your leftovers to wherever you're going now. And it's a discipline because, you know, we're just these humble human beings bumbling our way down this pathway of life. And all of this, these external things pull us off our path. So we have to get back on. So now I've just broke your rule and I Gave you a long answer to a short question.

00:41:33
I'm sorry. No need to apologize. That actually was so convicting for me because I needed to hear that. So I feel like you just kind of gave me a little mini sermon there. But it's true.

00:41:42
We. And I think having that discipline of reading that wherever you go is so powerful because the world wants to shape us into something very different. As leaders, we have to be very proactive about putting our values in front of us and saying, you know, this person, this is their one interaction with me, and maybe this is their one opportunity to have voice of employee to somebody with power in the organization. And it is so important. So that was.

00:42:06
That was well worth it. Thank you for that. What's bringing you joy right now? Living my purpose right now. You know, I was given some great guidance by Marshall Goldsmith, who's a dear friend of mine, when I was refiring from WD40, and he said, do not float into a void, Garry.

00:42:24
You now have to pay it forward. So my purpose now is I help leaders build cultures of belonging where love, forgiveness, and learning inspire a happier, more connected world. I think I've just done my 25 year apprenticeship in leadership. I need to put it to work because we need to make the world a better place. So that's what's giving me joy right now.

00:42:43
That's amazing. What's one message you hope every listener will take away from this episode? Life's a gift. Don't send it back unwrapped. That is so good.

00:42:52
So good. Your insight has been so helpful. Thank you once again for writing this book. Everybody get out there and buy. Any dumbass can do it, because any dumbass can do it.

00:43:01
And you have really shown us today donkeys or humans or whatever. Thank you so much for your insights, for your wisdom, for pouring back into CEOs. It's so important right now. We really need coaches out there being human centered as we lead toward the future of work. I always say we want AI to do its job well.

00:43:19
Let AI be the robots. But if we become the robots, we are not positioned well for the future of work. We need to be more human centered and where we can all belong and thrive in our organizations. Thank you so much for sharing yourself with us today, Garry. It's been a real honor and privilege.

00:43:33
My pleasure. Thank you for doing what you do and for inviting me along. Yeah, you're welcome. Wow. Can you feel that?

00:43:41
That fire, that energy, that kick in the pants to stop waiting for permission and start building a culture that actually Works for your people. Garry Ridge just dropped truth bombs on leadership, psychological safety, growth, mindset, and why every dumbass, including you and me donkeys, as he referred to us, has what it takes to lead with courage, humility, and with heart. Here's the deal. If you're ready to create a workplace where people go home happy, build better families, and make the world a better place, it starts with you. You don't have to wait for some fancy title.

00:44:20
You don't have to wait for someone else to change things. You can be the spark that ignites a movement. So here's what I want you to do next. Share this episode right now. Text it to a friend, post it on LinkedIn, blast it to your team rate and review the podcast.

00:44:35
It just takes two minutes that it tells Apple, Spotify, and all the algorithms out there that this show really matters. And hit follow because we've got more incredible conversations coming your way and I do not want you to miss a single one. This is how we build a world of difference. One person, one team, one culture at a time. Thanks for being here and I'll see you next time.

00:45:01
Thank you so much very much for joining us today on A World of Difference. Whether you're tuning in from across the street or across the globe, I want you to know this. Your voice matters, your story matters, and the difference you're making in the world is real. If this episode spoke to you, would you take a moment to subscribe, rate, and share the show with five people who need it, too? When you share, you're not just spreading a message.

00:45:28
You're building a community of people who believe in empathy, equity, kindness, and the power of listening to those who are different. Different from us. And hey, I'd love to hear from you. What resonated with you. What's a question or a story you'd like us to explore next?

00:45:42
Reach out anytime, because this isn't just my podcast. This is our conversation. Remember, you were made to make a difference. So let's keep showing up together. For ourselves, for each other, and for a world that needs all of us.

00:45:59
Until next time, stay curious, stay kind, and keep making your world a little more whole. Here on A World of Difference, we talk a lot about what it means to show up with courage, especially when the world tells us to stay silent. But here's the truth. Healing isn't meant to happen in isolation. We all carry stories of joy, of pain, of resilience.

00:46:20
And sometimes we need a space that's just for us. A space where we feel safe to process to breathe to be. And that's why I believe in therapy. And that's why I'm so grateful to partner with Better Help online therapy that meets you wherever you are. Better Help matches you with a licensed therapist based on your unique needs, whether you're dealing with burnout, grief relationships, or simply trying to make sense of your story.

00:46:45
Because you matter and your story deserves to be heard. As a listener of this podcast, you can get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com difference again, that's betterhelp.com difference because you don't have to walk this road alone. If you've been feeling stuck, uninspired, or just plain over it in your career, this is your wake up call. It's time to stop waiting for that right moment and start making moves. Because no one is coming to rescue you.

00:47:17
If you want to check out the Mastering the Career Pivot My brand new masterclass is designed to help you take control of your career pivot with confidence and land a job you actually love. This isn't some fluffy follow your dreams nonsense. This is real strategy to get unstuck and take action now. Right now. Here's what you get.

00:47:37
One hour of video training with me breaking down the exact steps you need to take. One hour or maybe two hours depending on your process of self paced exercises to map out your career Pivot plan A free career Pivot guide to walk you through the process. A clear, actionable roadmap so you can stop second guessing and start making moves. And if you want to go even deeper, you can grab the Pivot package. A powerful set of tools including a detailed workbook and three must have spreadsheets to track your job search, networking and applications like a pro.

00:48:07
And let me just say, if you're going out there expecting to just apply for a job, the first job, and get it, maybe you're one of those people and maybe you do. But if you're like most of the rest of us, you get a job based on people you know. And so statistically speaking, that's true as well as in my own lived experience and career journey. So networking is really a huge part of it, but a lot of us don't know how. And so a spreadsheet where you can track that, break it down, figure out.

00:48:31
What to talk about. I have some sample interview questions or you can do informational interviews. There's so much there in the Pivot package that is part of my own journey that helped me when I did a career Pivot several years ago. So here's the deal. This course will save you hours of frustration, second guessing, and aimless scrolling on job boards.

00:48:47
Not helpful. You don't have time to waste and your future is waiting. So let's get after it. Go to loriadamsbrown.com career pivot and sign up for Mastering the Career Pivot today. Because your next chapter, it's not going to write itself.