Garry Ridge

Many companies claim to value learning yet quietly punish mistakes. Ridge describes how WD-40 Company recast failure as a "learning moment" and built that habit into every level, from frontline teams to the boardroom. He shows why openly sharing what went wrong builds trust, speeds innovation, and protects performance. Audiences leave with concrete ways to make it safe for people to speak up, experiment, and improve.

Drawn from his bestselling book, this is Ridge at his most candid. He recounts his early years as a command-and-control manager, the mentors who changed his thinking, and the long road to servant leadership. Along the way he explains the WD-40 "Maniac Pledge," a promise that makes every employee responsible for learning and sharing what they know, and argues that great cultures come from humble, committed leaders rather than lone geniuses. Funny, honest, and immediately useful.

Most organizations publish their values; few use them to make decisions. Ridge shows how WD-40 Company ranked its values in order of priority so employees anywhere in the world could act with confidence and integrity without waiting for permission. He explains how to design, embed, and sustain values across borders, and what leaders must change in their own behavior for values to move from the wall into daily practice.

A learning moment is Garry Ridge's term for any outcome, positive or negative, that teaches something worth sharing. At WD-40 Company he replaced the language of failure with this idea so employees would report mistakes openly instead of hiding them. The approach builds psychological safety, speeds up problem-solving, and turns individual errors into shared knowledge. Ridge later named his coaching practice, The Learning Moment, after the concept.

Garry Ridge co-authored Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called "Don't Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A" with Ken Blanchard, which explains the coaching and performance review approach used at WD-40 Company. His bestseller Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It: Learning Moments from an Everyday CEO of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Company tells the story of his journey from command-and-control manager to servant leader. He has also published shorter works on tribe culture and on leading a culture through the pandemic lockdown.

Corporate culture speaker Garry Ridge covers tribal culture and belonging, the learning moment mindset, values-based decision-making, servant leadership, and developing leaders from within. Each talk draws on his own experience at WD-40 Company and can be tailored for executive retreats, HR conferences, sales kickoffs, or organizations going through change. To bring speaker Garry Ridge to your event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.

Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Garry Ridge as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Garry Ridge's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Garry Ridge or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.

Garry Ridge speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Garry Ridge to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Garry Ridge.

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Yes, Garry Ridge is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Garry Ridge for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.