WD-40
It seems only fitting that a product at the same exalted level of versatility as duct tape should be produced by a company whose CEO is a model of on-the-job open-mindedness.I'm referring to Garry O. Ridge, who has been the President and CEO of WD-40 Company of San Diego since 1997. In a May 23 article in the Wall Street Journal, Ridge explains his philosophy of taking advantage at every turn of what he calls "learning moments":
A learning moment is a positive or negative outcome of any situation. But what it really is, is a culture where people are applauded and rewarded for sharing what works and what doesn't work. It's a freedom culture. It is one that takes away fear.Ridge has set up an entire Learning Moment website to share the benefits of his experience in helping employees learn and succeed. His leadership model, with the learning moment's spot in the cycle marked, is illustrated below and detailed here.
I ran a 12-month program where every month I had people email me and share their learning moments. They would all get prizes and in the end we sent one of our employees on a fully paid trip around the world. The first month there were a few emails. Then as they saw they weren't being punished for this ... more came. I have a sign on my door that says Intellectual Collision Zone. I have another sign on my door that says Blame-Free Zone.
The Learning Moment website also offers a Changing Behavior Model, a summary of principles of leading change, and a list of recommended books.
For more on Garry Ridge's ideas concerning employee training and development, there is an overview here.
Labels: Learning organization
posted by Karen Nelson @ 10:23 PM
<< Home