Garry RidgeChairman Emeritus, Former CEO & Founder of The Learning Moment

I introduce myself that way to admit I do not know. I used to think I needed all the answers. Servant leadership means serving the people I lead. Calling myself consciously incompetent reminds everyone I am learning and need their help. When you sincerely ask for help, you get it.

I was a 'be brief, be bright, be gone' leader, a turbo D. I equated speed and control with good leadership. It hurt loyalty and safety. I had to understand my impact and shift from boss to coach and servant leader. Scary but necessary.

In 1997 I knew how to take the blue and yellow can global, but not how to build the environment I imagined. I wanted belonging, meaning, choice, low fear. I went back to school to confirm what I knew and learn what I did not, finding language, tools, and mentors like Ken Blanchard.

Ken Blanchard taught me servant leadership: make people feel they belong, matter, and can grow. The leader's job is to be an ever learner and teacher keeping the tribe alive. We defined purpose and values, served people so they could succeed, and the numbers followed.

Tribe fit better than team or family. Tribal leaders learn, teach, and keep the tribe alive. A tribe has values, warriors with different skills, community, celebration, and is future-focused—pick the wrong lake and everyone dies. Our tribe means forever learners and teachers, mutual respect, and a just cause of protecting and feeding each other.

We changed language to reduce fear: no mistakes, only learning moments. A learning moment is any outcome shared openly so all benefit. I asked people to email theirs—three came first month, then six, then 24, then hundreds. Celebrating them taught the tribe sharing failure would help, not punish.

Culture equals values plus behavior times consistency. Many firms have values and brief good behavior, then drop it. Culture is not fairy dust; you must live values daily, especially when hard. Ignore bad behavior and the structure collapses. Consistency tells people this is real, not posters.

We were explicit about values and behaviors. If someone did not fit, the tribe often noticed first and would vote them off the island. I would rather share people with competitors so they can be happy elsewhere. Leaders must be loyal to the group before one talented individual.

Culture is not soft. If it were easy, we would not see 70% disengagement. I point to numbers: market cap grew from about $300 million to $3.6 billion, engagement over 90%, no layoffs in downturns, more countries. Belonging and trust drove performance; ignore culture and you pay in results and talent.

CEOs underestimate how their behavior sets the tone. Few wake up wanting to be jerks; they copy models of ego, low empathy, micromanagement. People watch every move. You cannot build trust if you are not trustworthy, or learning if you pretend to know everything. It starts with your awareness and willingness to change.

In early 2021 a pulse survey showed higher excitement about the company's future. I thought it was wrong. People said they felt safe—seeing friends laid off elsewhere while believing our tribe would look after them. It was a proud moment proving the culture was real.

Our purpose was to create positive lasting memories solving problems in factories, homes, and workshops worldwide. It is about the experience people have with us, not cans and nozzles. It guided how we treated customers, each other, and investors—money keeps the tribe alive, but the real work is solving problems and creating memories.

Annual reviews are unfair and backward-looking. We replaced 'manager' with 'coach.' A coach defines what an A looks like and meets at least every 90 days to ask what's in your way and how to help. Performance becomes an ongoing human conversation, not a yearly judgment.

CEOs are pulled everywhere and culture feels extra. Start with foundations: clear purpose, clear values, one behavior you will change—like becoming a coach. Ask for help. It took about five years before momentum built. Give yourself grace but be intentional; culture change is how you show up daily, not a one-off project.

In a meeting someone drained energy, violating our value of creating positive memories. I could ignore it or attack publicly. Instead I walked with them and said, 'The you I know wasn't in that room. What's getting in your way?' We reconnected behavior to value, they apologized, and colleagues checked in. Values plus learning moments reduce fear.

I tell investors outcome equals will of the people times strategy. A 70-point plan executed by 30% engaged people is weak; the same plan with 80–90% engagement is powerful. We focused on people, purpose, values, learning, and started investor decks with culture. Over time skeptics saw engagement tied to 1,000%+ value growth.

Picture a place where you contribute to something bigger, learn, feel safe, are guided by values, and go home happy. Happy people build happy families and communities. Your job is not royalty; it is servant leadership—build a tribe where people belong, matter, and are safe being themselves. Do the work daily; the ripple is worth it.