WD-40 CEO: Think of mistakes as learning moments

Many people have heard of the WD-40 aerosol product and keep a can of it in a drawer at home, or perhaps their garage, but few understand what exactly it is. 

WD-40 stands for water displacement, 40th formula. That is because it took scientists 39 attempts, or mistakes, to find the right mixture that works as a degreaser and rust-prevention solvent for mechanical objects.  

The original experiments were made in San Diego, California, in the early 1950s in the aerospace industry to help protect missiles from rust and corrosion. But the team behind it saw a commercial application and, by the end of the decade, it was being sold to households. 

Today, Steve Brass, who was born and raised in Yorkshire, leads the WD-40 Company in San Diego. He wants to maintain the company’s tradition of bold experimentation.  

The secret he wants to share is that one way to promote psychological safety at work, removing the fear of failure so employees feel emboldened to try new ideas, is to rebrand job titles. 

“We have a really cool practice to facilitate psychological safety,” says Brass. “We don’t have bosses, we have coaches. Coaches don’t enter the field of play – they help people get an ‘A’ grade rather than mark their paper.” 

These coaches are not line managers and discuss “learning moments” rather than “mistakes” during appraisal time. The moments are then shared across the organisation to help others. 

This year, the WD-40 Company celebrates the 40th anniversary of trading in the UK. In 1985, it launched with a team of just 12 employees in Milton Keynes, generating £4.6m in sales during its inaugural year. 

From this UK base, WD-40 Company began producing concentrate for distribution across the UK, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 

The concentrate’s recipe remains a trade secret and is not patented so that the formula can be kept private. 

Brass joined the company’s UK operation in 1991. He rose up the ranks and relocated his entire family to its base in San Diego in 2016. He held a wide variety of senior roles before becoming president and CEO in 2022.  

His predecessor, Garry Ridge, has served as his mentor since Brass was 25 years old. 

Although Brass is committed to experimentation, his company is also very focused on its one iconic product. It has resisted the temptation to diversify its product range.   “Focus equals power,” says Brass.

One powerful adage that he learned during his time at the company is that to diversify is to "deworsify".

“You should stick to your core proposition,” he says.