Bleeding WD-40, and Loving It

Graham Milner admits that his interest in cycling tends toward the obsessive. And there have been other obsessions: running, tennis, martial arts, yoga, rock climbing. Cycling is simply his latest and longest standing fascination.

He says he's not smart enough to have an intellectual obsession, and that his physical activities are fueled more by enthusiasm than expertise. But alongside this humble self-assessment stands the urge Milner feels to accomplish something significant every day—even in the smallest spaces of his life. The thing that gets him in the saddle day after day, clocking 150 to 200 miles of cycling a week, is the sheer freedom he feels from getting somewhere under his own power.

The intangible benefits of cycling spill right over into Milner's position as executive vice president for global innovation at the WD-40 Co., where teamwork centered leadership resulted in tripled revenue since he joined the executive ranks there in 1992. "I cycle to make me better at work," he says. "It gives me the ability to thrash out any frustrations, and it's also a time that allows for inspiration."

Born in England and raised in Jamaica, Milner came to the US as a college freshman at the University of San Diego. He stayed on to earn his MBA at San Diego State and began a career in advertising. His parents made sacrifices to educate him here, he says. Eventually, they left Jamaica and everything they knew to give Milner and his two brothers a better life.

"When my family came here, they had been quite successful in Jamaica," he says. "My dad was a lawyer, my mom was a teacher. They left with nothing and had to dramatically alter their lifestyle. My two brothers and I feel that sense of wanting to give back through achievement and being happy."

Through a combination of high expectations and no limitations, Milner's parents instilled in him a will to succeed and a healthy appreciation for life. His open-hearted energy is a perfect match for the core culture of WD-40, where enthusiasm for this iconic American product runs to the extreme. Milner claims that if he fell off his bike and cut open his knee, a golden amber liquid would ooze out.

"I bleed WD-40," he says. And, so does everyone at the company. By Milner's description, they are a committed and diverse group of "decent folk" –the kind of people you wouldn't mind sitting next to on a plane ride. They call themselves a tribe, sharing a common mission and operating through a system of ritual and recognition that rewards sustained group achievement. Milner advises new employees not to worry about distinguishing themselves in order to move ahead because "the spotlight will always be on you in a small company."

Individual achievements are crucial, but they have an even greater impact when geared toward the progress of the larger WD-40 group, according to Milner. He spends a majority of his productive time on any given day trying to make that happen.

"If I can get people to work really well together, the sum is better than the parts. My job is to try to blend that into a team. Team is gigantic here."

Keeping the group cohesive is largely a function of emotion, which is something Milner embraces— whether it's the emotion generated by a great day of cycling or the emotion of gratitude that drives him to achieve. He says engaging people from the heart to the head is the best way to create a passionate atmosphere, which is essential in a market where the rate of failure for new products is incredibly high.

People need a reason to get up in the morning, Milner says. Even if it's simply to add to the 2,000+ known uses for WD-40, whose secret ingredients have solved many sticky household and industrial problems since the product first appeared on store shelves in 1958.

Call it an obsession. Call it dedication. Or call it effective branding. Milner's goal is to leave a good impression of WD-40 wherever he goes. "At the end of the day, I find myself thinking: Did the company get value from me today?" Of course, the answer is always yes.

@jamrider

www.wd40.com