Episode 118:

How Culture, Storytelling, and Joy Saved Menlo, with Rich Sheridan
Rich Sheridan

Menlo Innovations CEO Rich Sheridan became disillusioned in the middle of his career in the chaotic technology industry. He had an all-consuming thought…things can be better. Much better. He had to find a way. Why couldn't a workplace be filled with camaraderie, human energy, creativity, and productivity? Ultimately, Rich co-founded Menlo Innovations in 2001 to end human suffering in the workplace. His unique approach to custom software creation is so surprisingly different, that 3,000 people a year travel from around the world just to see how they do it. His passion for creating joyful work environments led to his bestselling and widely celebrated book, Joy, Inc. - How We Built a Workplace People Love. His highly anticipated second book, Chief Joy Officer, came out on December 4, 2018, and will continue to prove that a positive and engaging leadership style is actually good for business.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Rich and his co-founder turned to their amazing team at Menlo for help during the pandemic
  • What the two key questions are you need to constantly be asking yourself in a purpose-driven culture
  • How the restrictions put in place during the pandemic engineered a deeper understanding of each other at Menlo
  • What the five-step plan was at Menlo that allowed them to emerge stronger
  • How digging in and being in the fight together changed the Menlo team members
  • What was the turning point for Rich when he was able to see the incredible opportunity for his High-Tech Anthropologists to grow
  • What it means to be human and the role storytelling plays

Additional resources:

ebook

Growing Through (Not Just Going Through) Crisis

Why vulnerability can be a powerful leadership asset