In this episode of The Steward Chair, Garry Ridge, Culture Coach and Former Chairman and CEO of WD-40 Company, shares their journey of transitioning from a "command and control" leader to a servant leader, exploring how "the will of the people" drives meaningful, long-term success.

We discuss the specific algorithm Garry used to grow WD-40's market cap from $300M to $3.5B, the defining moments of cultural safety during global crises, and why a leader's number one responsibility is to be a learner and a teacher. This conversation provides actionable takeaways for leaders committed to stewardship, integrity, and impact.  

Key Takeaways
The Algorithm for Culture: Sustainable success is built through the formula of Values + Behavior x Consistency. Consistency is the "magic word" that prevents cultural toxins from eroding the organization.
Profit as Applause: Shift the focus from the bottom line to the people; profit is the natural "applause" that follows when employees feel safe, seen, and empowered to do their best work.
Leading Like a "Donkey": Effective stewardship requires the humility and reliability of a donkey—carrying the load and helping others reach their destination rather than seeking the spotlight.

Resources Mentioned
Visit https://thelearningmoment.net/ 
Follow The Learning Moment on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-learning-moment/ 
Visit https://www.wd40.com/ 
Follow WD-40 on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wd-40-company/ 
Follow Garry Ridge on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/garryridge/ 

Join the Conversation
The Steward Chair is about equipping and inspiring business leaders to build organizations that stand the test of time. If this episode resonated with you, share your biggest takeaway and tag us on LinkedIn:

Chat With Leaders Media https://www.linkedin.com/company/chatwithleaders/ and End of the Line Productions https://www.linkedin.com/company/end-of-the-line-productions/. 

Elevate your podcast, company meeting, or industry event strategies to better engage stakeholders and drive meaningful growth! Visit ChatWithLeaders.com to learn more about how we can help.

In this episode of The Steward Chair, Garry Ridge, Culture Coach and Former Chairman and CEO of WD-40 Company, shares their journey of transitioning from a "command and control" leader to a servant leader, exploring how "the will of the people" drives meaningful, long-term success.
We discuss the specific algorithm Garry used to grow WD-40's market cap from $300M to $3.5B, the defining moments of cultural safety during global crises, and why a leader's number one responsibility is to be a learner and a teacher. This conversation provides actionable takeaways for leaders committed to stewardship, integrity, and impact.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Key Takeaways
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The Algorithm for Culture: Sustainable success is built through the formula of Values + Behavior x Consistency. Consistency is the "magic word" that prevents cultural toxins from eroding the organization.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Profit as Applause: Shift the focus from the bottom line to the people; profit is the natural "applause" that follows when employees feel safe, seen, and empowered to do their best work.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Leading Like a "Donkey": Effective stewardship requires the humility and reliability of a donkey&mdash;carrying the load and helping others reach their destination rather than seeking the spotlight.</li>
</ul>
Resources Mentioned
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Visit <a href="https://thelearningmoment.net/">https://thelearningmoment.net/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow The Learning Moment on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-learning-moment/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-learning-moment/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Visit <a href="https://www.wd40.com/">https://www.wd40.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow WD-40 on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/wd-40-company/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/wd-40-company/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow Garry Ridge on LinkedIn <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garryridge/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/garryridge/</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Join the Conversation The Steward Chair is about equipping and inspiring business leaders to build organizations that stand the test of time. If this episode resonated with you, share your biggest takeaway and tag us on LinkedIn:
Chat With Leaders Media <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/chatwithleaders/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/chatwithleaders/</a> and End of the Line Productions <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/end-of-the-line-productions/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/end-of-the-line-productions/</a>.&nbsp;
Elevate your podcast, company meeting, or industry event strategies to better engage stakeholders and drive meaningful growth! Visit <a href="https://chatwithleaders.com">ChatWithLeaders.com</a> to learn more about how we can help.

The Steward Chair is a podcast that explores business leadership as stewardship – the responsibility of guiding organizations, people, and industries with integrity, long-term thinking, and a commitment to doing good while doing well.

Through deep, candid conversations with CEOs, Presidents and Founders that have stood the test of time, we unpack the challenges, decisions, and strategies that define values-driven leadership. This is a space for leaders who recognize that success is about more than personal achievement – it’s about leaving a lasting, positive impact on their organizations and communities.

Each episode provides real-world insights on how to navigate key business decisions while maintaining ethical integrity, long-term sustainability, and a legacy-driven mindset.

This show is produced in collaboration between Chat With Leaders Media and End of the Line Productions. 

The Steward Chair is a podcast that explores business leadership as stewardship &ndash; the responsibility of guiding organizations, people, and industries with integrity, long-term thinking, and a commitment to doing good while doing well.
Through deep, candid conversations with CEOs, Presidents and Founders that have stood the test of time, we unpack the challenges, decisions, and strategies that define values-driven leadership. This is a space for leaders who recognize that success is about more than personal achievement &ndash; it&rsquo;s&nbsp;about leaving a lasting, positive impact on their organizations and communities.
Each episode provides real-world insights on how to navigate key business decisions while maintaining ethical integrity, long-term sustainability, and a legacy-driven mindset.
This show is produced in collaboration between <a href="https://chatwithleaders.com/">Chat With Leaders Media</a> and <a href="https://www.eotlproductions.com/">End of the Line Productions</a>.&nbsp;

The Steward Chair is a podcast that explores leadership as stewardship—the responsibility of guiding organizations, people, and industries with integrity, long-term thinking, and a commitment to doing good while doing well.

The Steward Chair

In a world defined by disconnection, human connection is your most powerful asset in building companies that last. At Chat With Leaders Media, we're dedicated to helping you unlock that power by delivering actionable insights from leaders who are leveraging business as a force for good.

Through our podcasts – The Steward Chair, The People Experience Pulse, and B The Change Georgia – we cut through the noise to bring you candid, real-world strategies for building a better business. We explore what it takes to elevate people, grow your business with integrity, and build a legacy that goes beyond the bottom line.

This isn't just about inspiration; it's about giving you the tools to elevate your influence and make a tangible impact on your organization and the world.

In a world defined by disconnection, human connection is your most powerful asset in building companies that last. At Chat With Leaders Media, we're dedicated to helping you unlock that power by delivering actionable insights from leaders who are leveraging business as a force for good.
Through our podcasts &ndash; The Steward Chair, The People Experience Pulse, and B The Change Georgia &ndash; we cut through the noise to bring you candid, real-world strategies for building a better business. We explore what it takes to elevate people, grow your business with integrity, and build a legacy that goes beyond the bottom line.
This isn't just about inspiration; it's about giving you the tools to elevate your influence and make a tangible impact on your organization and the world.

Chat With Leaders Media

Garry Ridge

In today’s episode, Nathan Stuck sits down with his former professor, Dr. Sundar Bharadwaj, the Coca-Cola Chair of Marketing at UGA, to unpack how social impact can become a firm's most significant competitive advantage. Sundar shares his journey from working with Amul, an Indian dairy cooperative that revolutionized farmer cash flow, to researching how modern multinationals leverage purpose to disrupt stagnant categories.

Nathan and Sundar dive deep into the "Marketing-Finance Interface," discussing why marketing metrics often fail to reach the C-suite and how to reframe impact as a demand driver rather than a cost center. Sundar provides a framework for leaders to move beyond performative CSR and instead bake impact into the very core of their products.

 

RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS EPISODE
Learn more about Sundar’s work via his Terry College of Business Profile https://www.terry.uga.edu/directory/sundar-bharadwaj/
Order Sundar's book: Good Growth: How Brands Win with Social Impact https://www.amazon.com/Good-Growth-Brands-Social-Impact-ebook/dp/B0D2M3CRFZ
Connect with Sundar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundarbharadwajmarketingprof

 

CREDITS
Theme Music🎵ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Produced by ChatWithLeadersMedia.com

In today&rsquo;s episode, Nathan Stuck sits down with his former professor, Dr. Sundar Bharadwaj, the Coca-Cola Chair of Marketing at UGA, to unpack how social impact can become a firm's most significant competitive advantage. Sundar shares his journey from working with Amul, an Indian dairy cooperative that revolutionized farmer cash flow, to researching how modern multinationals leverage purpose to disrupt stagnant categories.
Nathan and Sundar dive deep into the "Marketing-Finance Interface," discussing why marketing metrics often fail to reach the C-suite and how to reframe impact as a demand driver rather than a cost center. Sundar provides a framework for leaders to move beyond performative CSR and instead bake impact into the very core of their products.
&nbsp;
RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS EPISODE
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Learn more about Sundar&rsquo;s work via his Terry College of Business Profile https://www.terry.uga.edu/directory/sundar-bharadwaj/</li>
<li aria-level="1">Order Sundar's book: Good Growth: How Brands Win with Social Impact https://www.amazon.com/Good-Growth-Brands-Social-Impact-ebook/dp/B0D2M3CRFZ</li>
<li aria-level="1">Connect with Sundar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundarbharadwajmarketingprof</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
CREDITS
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Theme Music🎵<a href="https://pixabay.com/users/zakharvalaha-22836301/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=9968">ZakharValaha</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=9968">Pixabay</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://chatwithleaders.com">ChatWithLeadersMedia.com</a></li>
</ul>

Good Growth: Leveraging Social Impact as the Ultimate Competitive Advantage

In this episode of The Steward Chair, Brad Herrmann and Hai Nguyen, Co-founders of Text-Em-All, share their journey of rewriting the SaaS success script by prioritizing greatness over growth and people over profit. They explore how an audacious 100-year vision and the transition to an employee ownership trust drive meaningful, long-term success.

We discuss the intentional process of leaders defining "enough," the creation of an employee-driven culture code, and how shared ownership acts as a "silo buster" for political friction. This conversation provides actionable takeaways for leaders committed to stewardship, integrity, and building an organization that remains a joy to do business with.

Key Takeaways
Defining "Enough" as a Leadership Prerequisite: Transitioning to an employee ownership trust requires founders to confront personal concepts of security and scarcity to determine what financial outcome is "enough" to safeguard the company's future.
Institutionalizing Culture Through Documentation: Moving beyond oral legend to a written "Culture Code" allows a company to hire, coach, and even fire based on shared values like authenticity, compassion, and shared excellence.
Shared Ownership as a Unifying Factor: Employee ownership aligns the entire team around the company's ultimate bottom line, ensuring that business decisions and product development are driven by the best ideas rather than internal politics .

Resources Mentioned
Visit Text-Em-All: https://www.text-em-all.com/
Follow Brad Herrmann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradherrmann/
Follow Hai Nguyen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hainguyen/
Follow Text-Em-All on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/textemall/
Twitter / X: https://x.com/textemall
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/textemall/

Join the Conversation
The Steward Chair is about equipping and inspiring business leaders to build organizations that stand the test of time. If this episode resonated with you, share your biggest takeaway and tag us on LinkedIn:

Chat With Leaders Media https://www.linkedin.com/company/chatwithleaders/ and End of the Line Productions https://www.linkedin.com/company/end-of-the-line-productions/. 

Elevate your podcast, company meeting, or industry event strategies to better engage stakeholders and drive meaningful growth! Visit ChatWithLeaders.com to learn more about how we can help.

In this episode of The Steward Chair, Brad Herrmann and Hai Nguyen, Co-founders of Text-Em-All, share their journey of rewriting the SaaS success script by prioritizing greatness over growth and people over profit. They explore how an audacious 100-year vision and the transition to an employee ownership trust drive meaningful, long-term success.
We discuss the intentional process of leaders defining "enough," the creation of an employee-driven culture code, and how shared ownership acts as a "silo buster" for political friction. This conversation provides actionable takeaways for leaders committed to stewardship, integrity, and building an organization that remains a joy to do business with.
Key Takeaways
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Defining "Enough" as a Leadership Prerequisite: Transitioning to an employee ownership trust requires founders to confront personal concepts of security and scarcity to determine what financial outcome is "enough" to safeguard the company's future.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Institutionalizing Culture Through Documentation: Moving beyond oral legend to a written "Culture Code" allows a company to hire, coach, and even fire based on shared values like authenticity, compassion, and shared excellence.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Shared Ownership as a Unifying Factor: Employee ownership aligns the entire team around the company's ultimate bottom line, ensuring that business decisions and product development are driven by the best ideas rather than internal politics .</li>
</ul>
Resources Mentioned
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Visit Text-Em-All:<a href="https://www.text-em-all.com/"> https://www.text-em-all.com/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow Brad Herrmann on LinkedIn:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradherrmann/"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradherrmann/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow Hai Nguyen on LinkedIn:<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/hainguyen/"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/hainguyen/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow Text-Em-All on social media:</li>
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/textemall/</li>
<li aria-level="2">Twitter / X:<a href="https://x.com/textemall"> https://x.com/textemall</a></li>
<li aria-level="2">Instagram:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/textemall/"> https://www.instagram.com/textemall/</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
Join the Conversation The Steward Chair is about equipping and inspiring business leaders to build organizations that stand the test of time. If this episode resonated with you, share your biggest takeaway and tag us on LinkedIn:
Chat With Leaders Media <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/chatwithleaders/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/chatwithleaders/</a> and End of the Line Productions <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/end-of-the-line-productions/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/end-of-the-line-productions/</a>.&nbsp;
Elevate your podcast, company meeting, or industry event strategies to better engage stakeholders and drive meaningful growth! Visit <a href="https://chatwithleaders.com">ChatWithLeaders.com</a> to learn more about how we can help.

Brad Herrmann and Hai Nguyen

In this episode, Nathan sits down with Seth Gunning, Founder of Sunpath Solar, Georgia’s only B Corp-certified solar installation company.

 

Seth shares his 20-year journey from community organizing and fighting coal initiatives to leading a business that specializes in making clean energy accessible to low-to-moderate-income homeowners and nonprofits. They discuss the "solar coaster" of shifting tax credits, the importance of "encoding values" into operations, and how Sunpath is using innovative financing models like "Solar Energy Procurement Agreements" to bypass the high upfront costs that often keep clean energy out of reach for those who need it most.

 

Listen in to discover how Seth is proving that business can be a powerful tool for environmental justice and learn why 'encoding' values into your standard operating procedures is the key to surviving any industry’s volatility.

 

RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS EPISODE
Visit Sunpath Solar at https://sunpath.solar/
Follow Sunpath Solar on social media at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunpath-solar/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551612671287 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunpath.solar
And get in touch with Sunpath Solar at https://sunpath.solar/contact/

 

CREDITS
Theme Music🎵ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Produced by ChatWithLeadersMedia.com

In this episode, Nathan sits down with Seth Gunning, Founder of Sunpath Solar, Georgia&rsquo;s only B Corp-certified solar installation company.
&nbsp;
Seth shares his 20-year journey from community organizing and fighting coal initiatives to leading a business that specializes in making clean energy accessible to low-to-moderate-income homeowners and nonprofits. They discuss the "solar coaster" of shifting tax credits, the importance of "encoding values" into operations, and how Sunpath is using innovative financing models like "Solar Energy Procurement Agreements" to bypass the high upfront costs that often keep clean energy out of reach for those who need it most.
&nbsp;
Listen in to discover how Seth is proving that business can be a powerful tool for environmental justice and learn why 'encoding' values into your standard operating procedures is the key to surviving any industry&rsquo;s volatility.
&nbsp;
RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS EPISODE
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Visit Sunpath Solar at <a href="https://sunpath.solar/">https://sunpath.solar/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow Sunpath Solar on social media at:</li>
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunpath-solar/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunpath-solar/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="2">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551612671287">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551612671287</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="2">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunpath.solar">https://www.instagram.com/sunpath.solar</a></li>
</ul>
<li aria-level="1">And get in touch with Sunpath Solar at https://sunpath.solar/contact/</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
CREDITS
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Theme Music🎵<a href="https://pixabay.com/users/zakharvalaha-22836301/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=9968">ZakharValaha</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=9968">Pixabay</a></li>
<li>Produced by <a href="https://chatwithleaders.com">ChatWithLeadersMedia.com</a></li>
</ul>

Garry Ridge

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