September 12, 2025 • 16 mins
In this inspiring episode of Career Coaching Secrets, host Rexhen sits down with Garry Ridge, Culture Coach and Chairman Emeritus of WD-40 Company. With over 35 years of leadership experience, Garry shares the core framework behind his new book Any Dumb Ass Can Do It and why creating workplaces where people go home happy is his life’s mission. He reveals how leaders can overcome ego, build trust-driven cultures, and inspire love, learning, and belonging in organizations.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Garry Ridge (00:00):
There's only one goal, and that is to continue to
do whatever I can to helpleaders create a workplace where
people go home happy.
You know, business has anopportunity and a responsibility
to make a positive differencein the world.
And that's why I wrote my newbook, Any Dumb Ass Can Do It.
It's really talking about theframework that we need to put in
(00:21):
place as leaders to buildcultures that are places where
people actually want to escapeto, not to escape from.
Davis Nguyen (00:29):
Welcome to Career coaching secrets the podcast
where we talk with successfulcareer coaches on how they built
their success and the hardlessons they learned along the
way my name is davis win and i'mthe founder of purple circle
where we help career coachesscale their business to hundred
thousand dollar years hundredthousand dollar months and even
hundred thousand dollar weeksbefore purple circle i've grown
several seven and eight figurecareer coaching business myself
(00:49):
and have been a consultant attwo career coaching businesses
that are doing over a hundredmillion dollars each whether
you're an established coach orbuilding your practice for the
first time you'll discover thesecrets to elevating your
coaching business
Rexhen Doda (01:01):
Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of
Career Coaching Secrets Podcast.
I'm your host, Rejan, andtoday's guest is Gary Rich, a
globally recognized as theculture coach and chairman
emeritus of the WD40 company,where he spent 35 years
redefining what culture means inthe workplace.
Gary is a master at helpingleaders create organizations
(01:23):
where people feel safe, valued,and inspired.
Places where love, learning,and belonging aren't just
buzzwords, but everydaypractice.
through his company, TheLearning Moment.
He now coaches executives andadvises organizations around the
world on building high-trustcultures that fuel innovation
and business growth.
He's also a best-selling authorof his latest book, Any Dumbass
(01:47):
Can Do It.
And it's a pleasure for me tohave him on the podcast today.
Welcome to the show, Gary.
Garry Ridge (01:52):
Hey, g'day, Reggie.
Thank you for inviting me.
It's a pleasure to be with you.
Rexhen Doda (01:55):
Thank you for coming, Gary.
I wanted to learn more aboutyour beginnings as a coach.
First of all, what Whatinspired you to become a coach
and then start your own coachingbusiness?
Garry Ridge (02:04):
Well, as you said, I was with WD40 company for 35
years, 25 years as the CEO andfinally chairman of the board.
And we created a culture therewhere people went to work every
day.
They made a contribution tosomething bigger than
themselves.
They learned something new andthey went home happy.
And we did that by recognizingthe pillars that need to be in
(02:25):
place to do that.
Number one is you do leadershipreally value.
that it's all about the people.
And as I've been in thisleadership industry for some
time, I think it was very, veryclear to me.
And the research shows that,you know, the latest Gallup
research shows that about 70% ofpeople who go to work every day
(02:47):
are disengaged or activelydisengaged and therefore not
happy in their job and not goinghome happy.
And, you know, happy familiescreate happy communities and
happy communities create a happyworld.
So once I stood down from myrole, I did I didn't retire.
I refired because I think mylegacy in leadership is to help
leaders create those cultures.
(03:08):
And unfortunately, most leadersdon't understand or are not
aware of how their behaviornegatively impacts those that
have the privilege to lead.
So that's why I started mycoaching practice.
And now I help leaders buildcultures of belonging where
love, forgiveness and learninginspire a happy, more connected
(03:29):
world.
Rexhen Doda (03:29):
Amazing.
And so for those Those leadersthat are listening, is there
any, like, could we define iteven more clearly than that?
So is there a certaindemographic, psychographic?
When thinking about the idealclient profile that you work
with, do they have some commongoals or other commonalities
that you are seeing?
(03:49):
I
Garry Ridge (03:50):
work with CEOs or senior people in the C-suite
because fish rot from the head.
And if leadership isn't alignedto behaviors that create great
cultures, then there's littlechance that the organization is
going to fall in line and be aplace where people enjoy to go
to work.
So my coaching clients are CEOsmainly of public and private
(04:14):
companies.
Rexhen Doda (04:15):
Cool.
And how is the engagement youhave with them?
Do they go through some sort ofa program that is customized to
them?
Is there a program length?
How would you describe theengagement?
Is it one-on-one coaching?
Is there also group coaching?
Garry Ridge (04:30):
There are four stages in my coaching program.
The first one is awareness.
And awareness is the foundationof effective leadership.
So in the initial phase ofcoaching, I use some of the work
of Marshall Goldsmith, who isthe number one executive coach
in the world.
He wrote a great book calledWhat Got You Here Won't Get You
There, 20 Bad Habits of Leaders.
(04:52):
So I use that as the platform.
And in the awareness stage, Iinterview the coach and I ask
them to identify areas relatedto those behaviors where they
think that they can improve.
Now, here's where theimportance bit comes in.
I then interview theirstakeholders.
It's called stakeholder centercoaching.
And I ask the stakeholders toreflect on what they think the
(05:15):
leadership behavior of thatleader is.
And I then compare the two.
And usually there's adisconnect.
And as I would say to theperson I'm coaching, the
stakeholders know you betterthan you know yourself.
So that's number one isawareness.
Number two then isintentionality.
We pick three to four of thoseareas that we want to improve
(05:35):
on.
And I interact with the coachusually every two weeks, either
virtually or in person.
And we go over a process whereI ask them on a daily basis to
ask themselves, did I do my bestto whatever the improvement is?
So let's say we've identifiedthey're not a very good
listener.
They would ask themselves, didI do my best to be a better
(05:57):
listener today?
Or did I do my best not tomicromanage today?
And we would go over that.
We'd look for triggers.
So that's the intention.
The third part of it isbehavior.
From that, their behaviorchanges over time.
And then finally, the resultsare they become a better leader
and the people they lead aremore comfortable in their
(06:17):
leadership space.
That whole program takes aroundsix to nine months normally,
albeit after that's finished, Ihave continuing coaching
clients.
My longest coaching client isan ongoing client that I've had
for three years, where now wehave two weekly check-ins around
both leadership, but also asI'm a past CEO of a public
(06:40):
company, I have a lot of CEOexperience.
So I can't tell coaches what todo.
I don't tell people what to do.
I can only share some of myexperiences that might help them
in their decision-makingprocess.
Rexhen Doda (06:51):
Cool.
And so what...
And thinking about the period,so you said six to nine months
and then they could also stayafterwards with you.
Is that something that you'refinding to be more common?
Like people do stay beyond thatusually?
Garry Ridge (07:06):
Yeah, you know, as I said, I have one that's been
with me for a couple of years.
Some we finish in a year andthen some I may just go back and
check in with them as acourtesy from time to time.
But it's really up to theclient and myself and, you know,
how much value.
I don't want to not add value.
So if I'm adding value andthey've identified that value,
(07:26):
then we'll continue.
But then again, I'm prettyselective.
I only coach a maximum of eightpeople at any one time.
Rexhen Doda (07:34):
And that makes sense.
And so after like six to ninemonths, there's just a different
goal that you're workingtowards achieving afterwards.
Garry Ridge (07:41):
Yeah, that's true.
Rexhen Doda (07:43):
And where do people find you marketing wise?
And this goes to that researchI mentioned earlier.
Where do people find you inorder to work with you?
How do you meet people?
Garry Ridge (07:52):
All of my clients have been referrals.
So, you know, the referrals,you know, people, I have, I
don't know, 120,000 followers onLinkedIn, I think.
And I've had clients come to methrough the LinkedIn platform,
but most of them are referralsfrom either, you know, other
associates that I know orthrough people that I've been
(08:13):
connected with.
Rexhen Doda (08:14):
Is there any, like looking to the future for your
coaching business?
Do you have any specific goalsyou're working towards?
Garry Ridge (08:22):
There's only one goal.
And that is to continue to dowhatever I can to help leaders
create a workplace where peoplego home happy.
You know, business has anopportunity and a responsibility
to make a positive differencein the world.
And that's why I wrote my newbook, Any Dumb Ass Can Do It.
It's really talking about theframework that we need to put in
(08:42):
place as leaders to buildcultures that are places where
people actually want to escapeto, not to escape from.
Rexhen Doda (08:50):
Where do you see the challenges in going after
this.
What are the most commonchallenges in changing the
culture?
Garry Ridge (08:58):
Ego, you know, where...
And again, I go back, Regin, tothe point that most people that
I interact with are not awareof how their leadership behavior
either positively or negativelyimpacts.
And there's a lot of short-termthinking in business.
We've got to get it done today.
(09:19):
You don't build great culturesand great leadership in short
periods of time.
So I think that it's all aboutpeople understanding what they
need to understand.
If you think about a leaderthat's not necessarily a great
leader, but they're amicromanager.
They think they're corporateroyalty.
They like a fear-based culture.
They're a master of control.
(09:40):
They are a know-it-all.
They have all the answers.
They don't value learning.
They must always be right.
They hate feedback.
All of these behaviors aregoing on in their leadership
style.
And they're usually not awareof the intensity of those on the
people they lead.
Rexhen Doda (09:54):
And how do you attack the ego?
It seems like unless you wantto be coached, you cannot attack
it, first of all.
But if you're coachable, thenit starts with awareness, just
like you mentioned initially.
Garry Ridge (10:05):
Yeah, I don't do rehabilitation coaching.
You know, the first question Iask and I have a questionnaire
that I send any prospectiveclient.
And if they don't have a clearawareness of the fact that
people are the number one assetin their business and their job
as a leader is to help thepeople that have the privilege
to lead step into the bestversion of themselves.
(10:27):
If they're not convinced ofthat, I'm sorry.
I'm not their coach.
Rexhen Doda (10:32):
Cool.
Amazing.
Thank you for sharing that.
And so what have been some goodinvestments you've made over
time that you either feel likeyou learned a lot or you got a
good return from?
Garry Ridge (10:41):
Well, you know, I think my whole concept is to be
a continual learner.
So, you know, my biggestinvestment is curiosity around
learning, which is reallyimportant.
And then, you know, I continueto gather as much information
and knowledge as I can from reallife experiences.
You know, one of the biggest,investments of time that I've
(11:02):
had is my opportunity to be avery good friend with Marshall
Goldsmith, the number oneexecutive coach in the world.
And, you know, I taught at theUniversity of San Diego for 16
years.
That was a great investment ofmy time because, you know, I
learned so much from the cohortsthat I had the opportunity to
interact with.
Rexhen Doda (11:22):
And is there any bad investments you'd say?
And thinking about like in yourcase that you've done as a
coach, as having the coachingbusiness from that perspective
Garry Ridge (11:33):
I can't think of any but again you know I'm a I'm
a I'm not a I'm a practitionermy coaching experience comes
from 25 years of leading apublic company
Rexhen Doda (11:42):
absolutely is that kind of like what do you think
that it is a challenge thatyou've had that experience or is
it a benefit because I've hadon the podcast some coaches who
if their experience in the pastis similar to their clients
experience or let's say it's thesame industry they usually find
it more challenging to workwith that client because they're
(12:05):
not as curious or let's saythey know exactly what the
client is going through so theymight not be as curious to ask
curious questions
Garry Ridge (12:12):
no i don't think so i'm you know i i've only got
one client now that's in anindustry that's even close to
what i was involved in so youknow i coach every people from
the consulting industry thecomputer high tech industry uh
the financial industry Thankyou.
(12:35):
And for
Rexhen Doda (12:42):
all the coaches who are listening that want to
scale their impact.
And when we're thinking aboutimpact is changing people's
lives.
As a coach, generally, you dohave that opportunity to change
people's lives.
So it's working, you're workingwith a leader, the leader has a
team, the team has theirfamilies, the leader also has
their families, they kind oflike has a ripple down effect
(13:02):
the moment you impact theleader.
Is there any advice you'd giveto other coaches who are trying
to scale their impact?
Garry Ridge (13:09):
Well, you know, think about the principles of a
coach and I talk about it likethe coach of a team or a
football team, right?
So a great coach never runs onthe field to kick the ball.
A great coach spends a lot oftime on the sideline observing
the play.
A great coach never ever goesto the podium and picks up the
prize.
And a great coach spends a lotof time in the stinky locker
(13:30):
room room, understanding theculture and building
psychological safety and trust.
So if you take those principlesand you apply them to your
coaching, you're not there toplay the game for the person.
You are there to observe theplay and to help them see how if
they played a littledifferently, they may get to the
podium more often.
Rexhen Doda (13:51):
Is this a book you'd recommend to every leader?
Garry Ridge (13:53):
Yeah, you know, that people might wonder why the
book is called Any Dumbass CanDo It.
So let me clear something up.
Yes, we all have that phase inthe US.
But where I'm from, sunnyAustralia, dumbass is usually
referring to a donkey.
Now, donkeys get a bad rap.
People think they're juststubborn or slow.
But here's the truth.
(14:14):
Donkeys are steady.
They'll keep going long afterothers give up.
They're loyal companions.
You can count on them when theroad gets rough.
They're practical.
They're not flashy.
They know how to conserveenergy and how to get the job
done.
And while they might not alwaysalways rush into things, that
caution often keeps them safe.
(14:34):
So when I say any dumb ass cando it, what I really mean is you
don't have to be brilliant tobe a great leader or a great
coach.
You just have to need a bit ofcourage, a lot of care and a lot
of humility to keep learning.
Because like the donkey,leadership isn't about showing
off and coaching isn't aboutshowing off.
It's about caring and carryingthe load, sticking with the
(14:57):
journey and helping others getwhere they need to go.
Rexhen Doda (15:00):
Wow.
Very insightful.
I did not know.
First of all, when I saiddumbass, I did not know that
that has a different meaning inAustralia.
And now I know that you're alsofrom Australia.
I didn't know that at thebeginning.
So thank you for sharing all ofthat, Gary.
And thank you so much forcoming to our show today.
Garry Ridge (15:20):
Yeah, thank you for the invitation.
I appreciate the opportunity toshare.
Have a great day.
Davis Nguyen (15:24):
That's it for this episode of Career Coaching
Secrets.
If you enjoyed thisconversation, you can subscribe
on YouTube, Spotify, ApplePodcasts, or wherever you're
listening to this episode tocatch future episodes this
podcast was brought to you bypurple circle where we help
career coaches scale theirbusiness to a hundred thousand
dollar years hundred thousanddollar months or even hundred
thousand dollar weeks allwithout burning out and making
sure that you're making theimpact and having the life that
(15:45):
you want to learn more about ourcommunity and how we can help
you visit join purple circle.comso
There's only one goal, and that is to continue to
do whatever I can to helpleaders create a workplace where
people go home happy.
You know, business has anopportunity and a responsibility
to make a positive differencein the world.
And that's why I wrote my newbook, Any Dumb Ass Can Do It.
It's really talking about theframework that we need to put in
(00:21):
place as leaders to buildcultures that are places where
people actually want to escapeto, not to escape from.
Davis Nguyen (00:29):
Welcome to Career coaching secrets the podcast
where we talk with successfulcareer coaches on how they built
their success and the hardlessons they learned along the
way my name is davis win and i'mthe founder of purple circle
where we help career coachesscale their business to hundred
thousand dollar years hundredthousand dollar months and even
hundred thousand dollar weeksbefore purple circle i've grown
several seven and eight figurecareer coaching business myself
(00:49):
and have been a consultant attwo career coaching businesses
that are doing over a hundredmillion dollars each whether
you're an established coach orbuilding your practice for the
first time you'll discover thesecrets to elevating your
coaching business
Rexhen Doda (01:01):
Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of
Career Coaching Secrets Podcast.
I'm your host, Rejan, andtoday's guest is Gary Rich, a
globally recognized as theculture coach and chairman
emeritus of the WD40 company,where he spent 35 years
redefining what culture means inthe workplace.
Gary is a master at helpingleaders create organizations
(01:23):
where people feel safe, valued,and inspired.
Places where love, learning,and belonging aren't just
buzzwords, but everydaypractice.
through his company, TheLearning Moment.
He now coaches executives andadvises organizations around the
world on building high-trustcultures that fuel innovation
and business growth.
He's also a best-selling authorof his latest book, Any Dumbass
(01:47):
Can Do It.
And it's a pleasure for me tohave him on the podcast today.
Welcome to the show, Gary.
Garry Ridge (01:52):
Hey, g'day, Reggie.
Thank you for inviting me.
It's a pleasure to be with you.
Rexhen Doda (01:55):
Thank you for coming, Gary.
I wanted to learn more aboutyour beginnings as a coach.
First of all, what Whatinspired you to become a coach
and then start your own coachingbusiness?
Garry Ridge (02:04):
Well, as you said, I was with WD40 company for 35
years, 25 years as the CEO andfinally chairman of the board.
And we created a culture therewhere people went to work every
day.
They made a contribution tosomething bigger than
themselves.
They learned something new andthey went home happy.
And we did that by recognizingthe pillars that need to be in
(02:25):
place to do that.
Number one is you do leadershipreally value.
that it's all about the people.
And as I've been in thisleadership industry for some
time, I think it was very, veryclear to me.
And the research shows that,you know, the latest Gallup
research shows that about 70% ofpeople who go to work every day
(02:47):
are disengaged or activelydisengaged and therefore not
happy in their job and not goinghome happy.
And, you know, happy familiescreate happy communities and
happy communities create a happyworld.
So once I stood down from myrole, I did I didn't retire.
I refired because I think mylegacy in leadership is to help
leaders create those cultures.
(03:08):
And unfortunately, most leadersdon't understand or are not
aware of how their behaviornegatively impacts those that
have the privilege to lead.
So that's why I started mycoaching practice.
And now I help leaders buildcultures of belonging where
love, forgiveness and learninginspire a happy, more connected
(03:29):
world.
Rexhen Doda (03:29):
Amazing.
And so for those Those leadersthat are listening, is there
any, like, could we define iteven more clearly than that?
So is there a certaindemographic, psychographic?
When thinking about the idealclient profile that you work
with, do they have some commongoals or other commonalities
that you are seeing?
(03:49):
I
Garry Ridge (03:50):
work with CEOs or senior people in the C-suite
because fish rot from the head.
And if leadership isn't alignedto behaviors that create great
cultures, then there's littlechance that the organization is
going to fall in line and be aplace where people enjoy to go
to work.
So my coaching clients are CEOsmainly of public and private
(04:14):
companies.
Rexhen Doda (04:15):
Cool.
And how is the engagement youhave with them?
Do they go through some sort ofa program that is customized to
them?
Is there a program length?
How would you describe theengagement?
Is it one-on-one coaching?
Is there also group coaching?
Garry Ridge (04:30):
There are four stages in my coaching program.
The first one is awareness.
And awareness is the foundationof effective leadership.
So in the initial phase ofcoaching, I use some of the work
of Marshall Goldsmith, who isthe number one executive coach
in the world.
He wrote a great book calledWhat Got You Here Won't Get You
There, 20 Bad Habits of Leaders.
(04:52):
So I use that as the platform.
And in the awareness stage, Iinterview the coach and I ask
them to identify areas relatedto those behaviors where they
think that they can improve.
Now, here's where theimportance bit comes in.
I then interview theirstakeholders.
It's called stakeholder centercoaching.
And I ask the stakeholders toreflect on what they think the
(05:15):
leadership behavior of thatleader is.
And I then compare the two.
And usually there's adisconnect.
And as I would say to theperson I'm coaching, the
stakeholders know you betterthan you know yourself.
So that's number one isawareness.
Number two then isintentionality.
We pick three to four of thoseareas that we want to improve
(05:35):
on.
And I interact with the coachusually every two weeks, either
virtually or in person.
And we go over a process whereI ask them on a daily basis to
ask themselves, did I do my bestto whatever the improvement is?
So let's say we've identifiedthey're not a very good
listener.
They would ask themselves, didI do my best to be a better
(05:57):
listener today?
Or did I do my best not tomicromanage today?
And we would go over that.
We'd look for triggers.
So that's the intention.
The third part of it isbehavior.
From that, their behaviorchanges over time.
And then finally, the resultsare they become a better leader
and the people they lead aremore comfortable in their
(06:17):
leadership space.
That whole program takes aroundsix to nine months normally,
albeit after that's finished, Ihave continuing coaching
clients.
My longest coaching client isan ongoing client that I've had
for three years, where now wehave two weekly check-ins around
both leadership, but also asI'm a past CEO of a public
(06:40):
company, I have a lot of CEOexperience.
So I can't tell coaches what todo.
I don't tell people what to do.
I can only share some of myexperiences that might help them
in their decision-makingprocess.
Rexhen Doda (06:51):
Cool.
And so what...
And thinking about the period,so you said six to nine months
and then they could also stayafterwards with you.
Is that something that you'refinding to be more common?
Like people do stay beyond thatusually?
Garry Ridge (07:06):
Yeah, you know, as I said, I have one that's been
with me for a couple of years.
Some we finish in a year andthen some I may just go back and
check in with them as acourtesy from time to time.
But it's really up to theclient and myself and, you know,
how much value.
I don't want to not add value.
So if I'm adding value andthey've identified that value,
(07:26):
then we'll continue.
But then again, I'm prettyselective.
I only coach a maximum of eightpeople at any one time.
Rexhen Doda (07:34):
And that makes sense.
And so after like six to ninemonths, there's just a different
goal that you're workingtowards achieving afterwards.
Garry Ridge (07:41):
Yeah, that's true.
Rexhen Doda (07:43):
And where do people find you marketing wise?
And this goes to that researchI mentioned earlier.
Where do people find you inorder to work with you?
How do you meet people?
Garry Ridge (07:52):
All of my clients have been referrals.
So, you know, the referrals,you know, people, I have, I
don't know, 120,000 followers onLinkedIn, I think.
And I've had clients come to methrough the LinkedIn platform,
but most of them are referralsfrom either, you know, other
associates that I know orthrough people that I've been
(08:13):
connected with.
Rexhen Doda (08:14):
Is there any, like looking to the future for your
coaching business?
Do you have any specific goalsyou're working towards?
Garry Ridge (08:22):
There's only one goal.
And that is to continue to dowhatever I can to help leaders
create a workplace where peoplego home happy.
You know, business has anopportunity and a responsibility
to make a positive differencein the world.
And that's why I wrote my newbook, Any Dumb Ass Can Do It.
It's really talking about theframework that we need to put in
(08:42):
place as leaders to buildcultures that are places where
people actually want to escapeto, not to escape from.
Rexhen Doda (08:50):
Where do you see the challenges in going after
this.
What are the most commonchallenges in changing the
culture?
Garry Ridge (08:58):
Ego, you know, where...
And again, I go back, Regin, tothe point that most people that
I interact with are not awareof how their leadership behavior
either positively or negativelyimpacts.
And there's a lot of short-termthinking in business.
We've got to get it done today.
(09:19):
You don't build great culturesand great leadership in short
periods of time.
So I think that it's all aboutpeople understanding what they
need to understand.
If you think about a leaderthat's not necessarily a great
leader, but they're amicromanager.
They think they're corporateroyalty.
They like a fear-based culture.
They're a master of control.
(09:40):
They are a know-it-all.
They have all the answers.
They don't value learning.
They must always be right.
They hate feedback.
All of these behaviors aregoing on in their leadership
style.
And they're usually not awareof the intensity of those on the
people they lead.
Rexhen Doda (09:54):
And how do you attack the ego?
It seems like unless you wantto be coached, you cannot attack
it, first of all.
But if you're coachable, thenit starts with awareness, just
like you mentioned initially.
Garry Ridge (10:05):
Yeah, I don't do rehabilitation coaching.
You know, the first question Iask and I have a questionnaire
that I send any prospectiveclient.
And if they don't have a clearawareness of the fact that
people are the number one assetin their business and their job
as a leader is to help thepeople that have the privilege
to lead step into the bestversion of themselves.
(10:27):
If they're not convinced ofthat, I'm sorry.
I'm not their coach.
Rexhen Doda (10:32):
Cool.
Amazing.
Thank you for sharing that.
And so what have been some goodinvestments you've made over
time that you either feel likeyou learned a lot or you got a
good return from?
Garry Ridge (10:41):
Well, you know, I think my whole concept is to be
a continual learner.
So, you know, my biggestinvestment is curiosity around
learning, which is reallyimportant.
And then, you know, I continueto gather as much information
and knowledge as I can from reallife experiences.
You know, one of the biggest,investments of time that I've
(11:02):
had is my opportunity to be avery good friend with Marshall
Goldsmith, the number oneexecutive coach in the world.
And, you know, I taught at theUniversity of San Diego for 16
years.
That was a great investment ofmy time because, you know, I
learned so much from the cohortsthat I had the opportunity to
interact with.
Rexhen Doda (11:22):
And is there any bad investments you'd say?
And thinking about like in yourcase that you've done as a
coach, as having the coachingbusiness from that perspective
Garry Ridge (11:33):
I can't think of any but again you know I'm a I'm
a I'm not a I'm a practitionermy coaching experience comes
from 25 years of leading apublic company
Rexhen Doda (11:42):
absolutely is that kind of like what do you think
that it is a challenge thatyou've had that experience or is
it a benefit because I've hadon the podcast some coaches who
if their experience in the pastis similar to their clients
experience or let's say it's thesame industry they usually find
it more challenging to workwith that client because they're
(12:05):
not as curious or let's saythey know exactly what the
client is going through so theymight not be as curious to ask
curious questions
Garry Ridge (12:12):
no i don't think so i'm you know i i've only got
one client now that's in anindustry that's even close to
what i was involved in so youknow i coach every people from
the consulting industry thecomputer high tech industry uh
the financial industry Thankyou.
(12:35):
And for
Rexhen Doda (12:42):
all the coaches who are listening that want to
scale their impact.
And when we're thinking aboutimpact is changing people's
lives.
As a coach, generally, you dohave that opportunity to change
people's lives.
So it's working, you're workingwith a leader, the leader has a
team, the team has theirfamilies, the leader also has
their families, they kind oflike has a ripple down effect
(13:02):
the moment you impact theleader.
Is there any advice you'd giveto other coaches who are trying
to scale their impact?
Garry Ridge (13:09):
Well, you know, think about the principles of a
coach and I talk about it likethe coach of a team or a
football team, right?
So a great coach never runs onthe field to kick the ball.
A great coach spends a lot oftime on the sideline observing
the play.
A great coach never ever goesto the podium and picks up the
prize.
And a great coach spends a lotof time in the stinky locker
(13:30):
room room, understanding theculture and building
psychological safety and trust.
So if you take those principlesand you apply them to your
coaching, you're not there toplay the game for the person.
You are there to observe theplay and to help them see how if
they played a littledifferently, they may get to the
podium more often.
Rexhen Doda (13:51):
Is this a book you'd recommend to every leader?
Garry Ridge (13:53):
Yeah, you know, that people might wonder why the
book is called Any Dumbass CanDo It.
So let me clear something up.
Yes, we all have that phase inthe US.
But where I'm from, sunnyAustralia, dumbass is usually
referring to a donkey.
Now, donkeys get a bad rap.
People think they're juststubborn or slow.
But here's the truth.
(14:14):
Donkeys are steady.
They'll keep going long afterothers give up.
They're loyal companions.
You can count on them when theroad gets rough.
They're practical.
They're not flashy.
They know how to conserveenergy and how to get the job
done.
And while they might not alwaysalways rush into things, that
caution often keeps them safe.
(14:34):
So when I say any dumb ass cando it, what I really mean is you
don't have to be brilliant tobe a great leader or a great
coach.
You just have to need a bit ofcourage, a lot of care and a lot
of humility to keep learning.
Because like the donkey,leadership isn't about showing
off and coaching isn't aboutshowing off.
It's about caring and carryingthe load, sticking with the
(14:57):
journey and helping others getwhere they need to go.
Rexhen Doda (15:00):
Wow.
Very insightful.
I did not know.
First of all, when I saiddumbass, I did not know that
that has a different meaning inAustralia.
And now I know that you're alsofrom Australia.
I didn't know that at thebeginning.
So thank you for sharing all ofthat, Gary.
And thank you so much forcoming to our show today.
Garry Ridge (15:20):
Yeah, thank you for the invitation.
I appreciate the opportunity toshare.
Have a great day.
Davis Nguyen (15:24):
That's it for this episode of Career Coaching
Secrets.
If you enjoyed thisconversation, you can subscribe
on YouTube, Spotify, ApplePodcasts, or wherever you're
listening to this episode tocatch future episodes this
podcast was brought to you bypurple circle where we help
career coaches scale theirbusiness to a hundred thousand
dollar years hundred thousanddollar months or even hundred
thousand dollar weeks allwithout burning out and making
sure that you're making theimpact and having the life that
(15:45):
you want to learn more about ourcommunity and how we can help
you visit join purple circle.comso
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