182 Garry Ridge, Legendary CEO: The Hard Truth About Happy, High-Performing Cultures

About this episode

Garry Ridge discusses leadership lessons and the importance of creating a thriving culture in organizations.

Some leadership lessons arrive through strategy. Others arrive at 38,000 feet, reading a single sentence that reframes everything. For Garry Ridge, former CEO and Chairman Emeritus of WD-40, that moment sparked a radical shift in how he thought about leadership, culture, and responsibility. In his second appearance on The Unlock Moment, Garry returns to reflect on what he’s learned since stepping away from the CEO role … and what still matters most about leading well. In this conversation, Garry shares deeper insight into servant leadership, psychological safety, and why fear is the enemy of learning. He unpacks the real meaning behind his provocatively titled book Any Dumb Ass Can Do It, and explains why leadership doesn’t require brilliance - just care, consistency, and courage. This episode is a reminder that great leadership isn’t about control or charisma. It’s about how you show up and the environment you create for others to thrive.

People in this episode

Host: Dr Gary Crotaz PhD

Guest: Garry Ridge

Topics covered

• leadership
• organizational culture
• servant leadership
• psychological safety
• fear and learning

Keywords

• leadership
• culture
• psychological safety
• servant leadership
• fear
• learning
• high-performance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WD-40

Books & works: Any Dumb Ass Can Do It

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