How WD-40 built a billion-dollar business with happiness – Info Leadership

In this AMAZING speech from our International Conference on Happiness at Work, CEO Garry Ridge gives you a look “under the hood” of one of the world’s most recognized brands, WD-40 Company,  where 98% of employees say they “love to work.” This high engagement has resulted in a company that has doubled in revenue in the last decade, and is on a trajectory to double again in the next.

Garry shares his “learning moments” from his journey to transform the company’s culture, beginning in 1997. Lessons and principles covered include:

• The personal journey of every servant leader, and why that philosophy is critical
• The emotional connection of a greater purpose that creates high engagement
• How to carefully and consciously choose values that will be embedded in all aspects of leadership and employee development
• The difference between a “team” and a “tribe”, and why WD-40 Company strove to create a cohesive tribe that spans 15 countries where employees work
• How company performance results are directly connected to its focus on people

Watch the whole thing – it’s phenomenal!

Here’s my personal favorite quote from his speech:

Leaders are champions of hope. Life is a gift. Let’s not send it back unwrapped. We have only time, talent, treasure, and technology to deal with, and none of them are abundant. So it’s our job as leaders to help people focus on the things that really matter and to take that hope to a real result.

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